Vermilleo's page

Hello, today we have Diamondback and her stiltwalkers, some dogs, the basic Trub Glorp hunters, and Drevoraz from TBG. I used boggards (from the Bestiary). If your PCs ask you why the adventure is called "The Bullywug Gambit" when they're clearly fighting boggards, applaud their observation skills and award them a negative level apiece for their effrontry.

For details on the boggards' Sticky Tongue and Terrifying Croak abilities, see the Bestiary. As usual I'm not troubling to put in skill modifiers that can't possibly be used in the encounters, like Swim, because I am too lazy to do that.

Next time are the named bullyboggard mini-bosses and Lavinia Mk I. Possibly the Jade Ravens too, depending. They aren't really worth updating until the next time they show up, IMO.

Diamondback (Paizo.com battle monk)

Diamondback's stiltwalkers (Paizo.com street thug)

Mastiffs (Bestiary riding dog)

Trub Glorp Hunter

Drevoraz Kabran, Harliss's First Mate

Hello again, here are some more conversions. OK, only one because I don't have time to format the other ones I have prepared. Maybe later today :<

Harliss Javell, Crimson Fleet Captain (human swashbuckler 5/rogue [swashbuckler archetype] 2/duelist 6)

THE BULLYWUG GAMBIT, parts 1 and 2

Note: In some cases (such as most of the ones in this post), I am not updating the exact stat blocks. They are all similar, but I think having all the savage pirates be level 1 rogues is both too easy and kind of boring. So I have made various types of (more powerful) pirates. I'll be doing this in the future too, depending on how my own party is doing. Mourningcloud, if you think I am hijacking your thread too much let me know and I'll go make a new one :) A lot of these encounters should be the same or close enough that it should be OK.

Other note: I'm not including the "afflicted" part of the savage creature template (the PCs don't, uh, have access to greater restoration). I am also interpreting the template to increase existing bite damage by one die size. Since a human gets a 1d8 die bite, it stands to reason that anything that can already bite should just do more damage.

Hopefully I've found all the errors. Making a large number of stat blocks without adding a bunch of errors is hard <<

Violet Fungus
See Bestiary entry.

Next time...part 3, the Wormfall Festival.

I was just coming online to post some updates, so I guess I'll use this thread. I don't have complete updates by any means (and you/whoever might not want to use the same encounters) but here is what I have. I'm doing them in batches so I don't have too many yet, but I'll try to remember to post here when I update them.

I already did There Is No Honor without changing too much, to get a feel for how "easy" 3.5 rules are for Pathfinder PCs. Turns out it was a cakewalk, so I'm converting the rest of the campaign to provide a little more challenge.

Thunderstrike never dies. The party pulled out ALL the stops to rescue him from the bar-lguras and Lavinia ended up riding him when she led the charge into the demon fog to rescue the kidnapped colonists. Since Avner ended up as a kind-of-cohort, taking levels in cavalier, order of the cockatrice (*ahem*), of course...

Anyway, yeah, aside from Lavinia (who everyone loves) and Vanthus (who everyone loves to hate), it's fair to say that Avner, Churtle, and Thunderstrike (and Tavey, who ended up a tragic/heroic cohort) have become some of the premier NPCs of the campaign.

Vanthus Vanderboren from the Savage Tide (slightly-more-badass version than as-written). Sorry for this being so long, I love this dude and want to tell his story again >:D

Savage Tide spoilers!

In addition to fixing his stat block so it wasn't...so bad...during various encounters, I changed some details about him to make him more badass and tragic (and vile). As written, he kind of bumbled his way around a lot at first, then spent the entire rest of the campaign reacting passively to what the PCs were doing. I wrote some original stuff for him and followed the advice of various people on these messageboards.

At the beginning of the campaign (we had just finished the Age of Worms) the party was starting out in Sasserine when Kyuss awoke. They battled through a bunch of zombies and saved one nobleman from a Kyuss spawn. That was Vanthus, although they didn't know how much they would regret it...

The party found an intelligent magic item named Fleur in the Vanderboren vault that he had befriended years ago, manipulated into falling in love with him, and abandoned once she had served her purpose.

I changed his backstory slightly so that when his parents split him and Lavinia up, they took him with them to Farshore and left him there to grow up. He ended up very bitter due to his enforced exile and also badass enough to kill monsters (which is where he got Fleur). He used her to find out where Uncle Ventrue's secret lab was, broke in, and used Ventrue's Book of Infinite Spells to cast Gate, summoning Pazuzu, who he had heard granted wishes, and not really understanding what he was doing. Pazuzu came, gruesomely murdered Ventrue, and intro'd Vanthus to the Crimson Fleet as a way of granting his wish to escape back to Sasserine.

Vanthus made his way back to Sasserine, got in with the Lotus Dragons, murdered his parents, and robbed his sister blind. Then he ended up in Kraken Cove when the Shadow Pearl went off and disappeared for awhile. (After that, he realized that whatever the Crimson Fleet was up to, he wanted part of it.) So he made his way to Scuttlecove and murdered his way up the ranks of the pirates, earning his Lemorian half-fiend transformation.

By keepings tabs on Lavinia with divination magic, he learned of her expedition to Farshore and determined to kidnap her and simultaneously destroy their parents' legacy. He showed up with a fleet of ships and was only barely defeated and slain...

(The moment when he transformed, when the party finally thought they had him cornered after five AP installments....ah, the looks on their faces.)

...then Demogorgon raised him as a death knight to end all death knights when the party pissed him off. He arose in the dead of night, slaughtered his way through town, and disappeared with his sister. When the party got back and heard the story...ahhhhhhhh, one of my favorite D&D moments EVER.

In Scuttlecove, the party discovered that he had unknowingly fathered a son on a succubus (Tyralandi's half-sister) while still a human. They got ahold of it and determined to bring him up as a hero.

When the party killed him (again) at Divided's Ire, he came back...as a balor. (A much more satisfying final form than "a larva + flying pile of bones" as written. Blargh.) The party ran into him in the final chamber of Wat Dagon and fought him alongside Demogorgon. When it became clear that the Big D was gonna lose, he stabbed his boss in the back and made his bid to become Prince of Demons.

Throughout the whole campaign, there was a gradually-revealed conspiracy of all the old obyrith (now qlippoth) demon lords (Pale Night, Pazuzu, Dagon, Obox-ob, and Dwiergus being the main conspirators) working through the PCs to destroy Demogorgon and take control of the Abyss back. This all came to a head in "Enemies of My Enemy." Pazuzu helping Vanthus into the Crimson Fleet and into the party's path was part of this, and Dagon's "alliance" with Demogorgon for the past X thousand years was all leading up to this. The plan was for the PCs to kill Demogorgon and trade the Crown to the conspirators in exchange for the Abyssal layer of Androlynne. Vanthus was supposed to be a pawn that would keep the party going in the right direction (discovering Big D's plot with the shadow pearls, heading into the Abyss, etc.). Vanthus getting the jump on EVERYONE and seizing the crown for himself, transforming into the Prince of Demons and being the REAL final boss of the campaign...was not something anyone was expecting. Muwahahaa!

Anyway. My boy Vanthus is the first and last encounter...murdered his parents...stole, lied, cheated, burned down everything he touched...stayed offstage for most of the campaign, with the party perpetually a step behind...harbored incestuous lust for his sister, who the party loves as much as they hate him...showed up at the most dramatic moments, always at the head of an army and with a major surprise up his sleeve...and finally sticking it to his Demon Lord employer, the obyrith/qlippoth conspirators who thought they had him under control, and the PCs (one last time)...

Most importantly, he KEPT COMING BACK. Escape multiple times as a mortal? Check. Return as a half-fiend? Check. Rise as the most horrible kind of undead? Check. Return - again - as a full-blown balor after his final death? Check. My GOD I love this guy.

In both the print edition (p. 243) the online reference of the APG, the shared senses spell has a typo in the first sentence. It currently says "functions" instead of "function." :)

Since it just came up on the Pandora station I'm listening to at work, I was reminded...another one I liked for him was "A Demon's Fate" by Within Temptation.

Actually, there were a lot of them. I might just post the contents of my Vanthus playlist on here when I get home, for those who are interested...if I remember.

My GM used Cry Little Sister as Vanthus' theme.

Interesting choice...I like it :) I liked having multiple "themes" for Vanthus, though...he was too multifaceted a character (killing, betrayal, murder, hate, vengeance, arson, family, demons, pirates, uh...etc. :) to tie down with just one song.

:P

The only real caution I would advise is having an imbalance in alignments between characters. The entire adventure path is literally a CN's wet dream to cause mischief and trouble for the rest of the party if he does not care about the welfare of the group. Also, one of the primary themes of the AP is "the lesser of two evils." With really good roleplaying and wise tactics, it is possible to not make deals with evil characters, but the hurdles to overcome will be bigger.

Honestly, this adventure path epitomized the reason that I always require good-aligned PCs.

A lot of people may disagree with me about "limiting player options," but I do so for precisely the same reason I enjoy video games with some restrictions more than just pure open sandbox games. The key is that everyone needs to have a good time, and the restrictions should be more like guidance than true railroading.

Honestly, if you just say at the beginning of the campaign, "I think this campaign is tailor-made for heroes" and nudge them a bit, a lot of people will be, like, "the DM, who knows everything about the whole AP, and who knows me personally, is telling me we will have more fun this way - therefore, I will trust the DM and play a hero." (Obviously this only works if your players trust you - you, not the "evil DM who wants to kill us all" - and if you know them...but if neither of those is true, what are you doing playing with these people?!)

I have also had plenty of experience with people who ALWAYS want to play neutral-aligned characters. It has never gone well. Ever. It may be a stereotype, but people who always play neutral characters because "it's how they play" are usually going to be the people who don't prioritize the other players. Obviously, not everyone agrees with me, but as I said, I have had enough very unpleasant experiences that I am convinced of this. I've also never said "all good players!" and had it backfire!

As it applies to the STAP - yes, the storyline is geared towards "choosing the lesser evil" and making compromises with evil creatures. But depending on how resolute (and ingenious...and lucky) they are, the players can still muscle through without compromising their morality too much. I would be very careful if phrases like "for the greater good" start cropping up...after all, the slippery slope is very slippery...if the party is going to make certain choices, make sure they know exactly how good (or evil) those choices really are. You diminish the importance of those choices and the overall drama of the campaign if you give them an easy way out all the time...but don't punish them for being decisive. Being a hero is difficult (even an anti-hero), but it should be rewarding.

Try to avoid running big battles with multiple characters involved. Whenever possible, break it down so that the majority of it is running in the background with the focus on the pcs fight. Try to keep the pcs together whenever possible as well.

Again, this is just my experience, but I found that a lot of the potential "big encounters" can actually be livened up a lot if you drag NPCs in. There are 2 caveats to this:

1) Only fights where the PCs are involved. During the Siege of Farshore (note those capitals! that was one of the highlights), I ran stuff for the massively expanded invasion. Not everyone or everything, but what happened was the party all split up and led different militia groups or just killed stuff on their own, so it was like running several combats simultaneously. (By prerolling a lot of stuff beforehand and figuring out one NPC group's actions while the PCs in another group was deciding what to do, I was able to avoid too much combat drag. I also had a few set pieces to haul out at the right time.) Everyone had so much fun with the Siege, both in terms of planning (several sessions' worth), the preliminary engagement at sea, then splitting up to fight the necromancers attacking the graveyard, the flight of wyverns and paratrooper hadozee pirates, the flesh golems, six Lemorian half-fiend captains, and finally Vanthus and his shadow pearl. (See the campaign website for more details.) Anyway. There were a lot of NPCs fighting "in the background" that I explicitly rolled for, and depending on how well or poorly they did against whatever they were fighting, the party could prioritize its own actions. It made for a very organic battle full of surprises, victories, and memorable moments. (I was looking forward to repeating all of this on a grander scale at the climactic invasion of Gaping Maw, but...sadly, we never got there.)

2) Only NPCs the players care about. If you play it right, you can get the PCs really involved with the crew of the Sea Wyvern and the Blue Nixie in TSWW. I chose to roleplay all of the Sea Wyvern's crew (made-from-scratch NPCs), and the party got very attached to them. It really gave that added emotional edge during Rowyn's attacks (especially because of the expanded nature of said attacks...see the campaign log :). During the Journey's End encounter and the shipwreck on the IoD, the party's efforts directly influenced whether and how many of said crew lived. (All of them. They tried REALLY HARD.) The crew, in turn, saved the party a few times, or at least helped. (Rowyn would have killed a few more people if not for the brave efforts of the crew.) This is a great way to pull the party out of the fire if they need it, a great roleplaying opportunity, and a great way to remind the players that their actions have consequences - after all, the NPCs can help, but if the players make a dumb decision everyone might die. You really don't want to overdo it and just use the NPCs as deus ex machina every time the players screw up, but it can be really rewarding for the players to (for example) come up with a plan that REQUIRES the NPCs to pull off something dangerous. You can really build up a sense of camaraderie if you do this right, which of course adds a lot of urgency if something (for example, Olangru!) goes horribly, horribly wrong. You have to really pick up on the NPCs your party gets along with, and it's sort of a balancing act to be subtle enough in spotlighting them while keeping the PCs in the limelight. But it is so worth it! :D

Finally, MUSIC! A good soundtrack is a massive tool in getting the right mood for this AP. Golismorga itself is a fun encounter if you do small little things to create the tension.

We made a Spotify playlist. Vanthus has one with "One-Winged Angel" and a few other boss music themes (the Ultimecia theme from FFVIII?) and a lot of Hollywood Undead, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Stone Sour...Marilyn Manson! Basically songs about killing things, burning things, and getting away with murder :P

Lavinia had a much more ladylike playlist with a few emo Evanescence songs.

The party as a whole had a playlist...everyone had their own signature song that we played at random times...so yeah, music. Right. A must-have! (Look, CB, we agree about something! :)

Above all, have fun! Strive to keep the players engaged in the storyline just as much as you keep them engaged with fights. Once in a while, give them a cutscene with foreshadowing of stuff that happens maybe 3 or four adventures down the road. Done right, this AP is probably the most enjoyable of the ones they published in Dungeon magazine.

Again...couldn't agree more. The Savage Tide was really the best thing Paizo ever did. (Of course, I modified certain parts of it to "make it more awesome," in my opinion, and there were a few...weird...choices the developers made, but overall...!)

I would also like to say something about the end of the campaign. A lot of people are talking about how it should end after Scuttlecove. I completely disagree with that. Yes, keeping the pacing steady and keeping the party interested in everything can be difficult in this campaign - but that's what the job of a DM is! Done well, the party should be just as pumped up about rescuing Lavinia from Divided's Ire as they were about, say, chasing down Vanthus after he locked them under Parrot Island.

I've heard a lot of comments to the effect that the campaign doesn't tie together well enough ("The Abyss? We're going to the Abyss?! What?! I thought we were just after pirates!") but I disagree. It does, however, take a lot of very thorough foreshadowing - you want the party to remember things whose significance they didn't understand at the time, but which at later installments mesh together with the unfolding plot. Foreshadowing will make or break the party's interest in the late-campaign installments...foreshadowing, and character interactions with the NPCs. They have to really care about the NPCs. :)

Happy gaming!

One of many recommendations I can offer is to beware pcs who take levels in the druid class. While druids shine fantastically throughout this AP, they can wreck havoc on outdoor locations, such as The Wreck, abode of the Crimson Fleet. The player of the storm druid in my campaign dropped a Control Weather spell that lasted for days to cause torrential rain flooding the Crimson Fleet base. Once they found out where the base was, the storm druid effectively leveled the place with 5 control winds spells, one stacked on top of the other, for 600 feet in every direction, with a whirlwind spell in the centre to suck up hapless pirates. The storm druid was the only one who could see (more than 5 feet anyways) due to the torrential rain, hurricane winds, and flying debris everywhere.

It was only afterwards, much to my regret, that I realized in PF, dispel magic allows you to dispel a magical effect without having to pinpoint its source or point of origin, so long as your dispel magic targets the ongoing area of effect (which the control weather and control winds were certainly eligible targets). D'oh!

CB out.

2 things to say:

1) That is smart of them, I would have allowed it, ohoho

2) I did exactly the same thing to my PCs every chance I got :P

Well, I received a PM asking for specific details of the stuff I did. So here is at least some of it (more to follow later, eventually, when I have more time). Note: some of the stuff I have here was taken from or inspired by other threads on these forums. I don't really remember who or where. So while some of this is my own stuff, not all of it is. Anyone who recognizes anything, feel free to post links to the original threads :)

Also...this is long, rambling, and full of probably too much detail. But if you're not interested, just ignore this post (:

General
You can foreshadow quite a few events in the campaign before the party ever meets Lavinia. For example, if any of the party has adventurer or sailor relatives or backgrounds, you can drop hints about the legendary Isle of Dread, Journey's End, island-sized turtles big enough to swallow whole ships...and of plenty of other red herrings, such as ghost ships, krakens, sea serpents. If none of them have the appropriate background, just have them overhear it as part of a conversation between sailors or something. One thing I specifically recommend is to foreshadow the Crimson Fleet and the Sea Wyvern in this manner, maybe among merchants talking about a recent pirate attack somewhere.

You can also introduce some of the NPCs in this way. Avner Meravanchi ran into (and was a jackass towards) my party early on as they made their way to Vanderboren Manor, and didn't remember them at all the next time he saw them.

Prologue
At the very beginning of the campaign, I ran a prologue encounter taking place one year before the events in TINH. Several members of my group had played through the Age of Worms with me, and with the Wormfall Festival playing such a large part in TBG, I thought it would be a good place to sort of put the major players in the same place.

Basically, I had all the PCs be present in Sasserine when Kyuss broke free from his prison. From the jungles to the west, hordes of undead spilled forth to destroy the city, etc. The PCs (none of whom knew each other, except for two with shared backstory) found themselves fighting to survive against a horde of zombies (which, since zombies are pretty weak, they killed pretty easily). They kept looking for safety when they saw a nobleman being assaulted by a Spawn of Kyuss. After a long, difficult fight against the Spawn and a few zombies (Spawn of Kyuss are CR 5 if I remember correctly), they killed it and were just barely able to save the nobleman's life by cutting the Kyuss worm the Spawn had infested him with out of his flesh before it reached his brain.

Guess who the nobleman was? Vanthus Vanderboren, of course! :D

As an aside: Vanthus's backstory, as expanded on later in the campaign, seemed to imply that he should still have been on the Isle of Dread when this happened. They started figuring something was fishy when they found that out. (This was before the party found out about him summoning Pazuzu - or, as originally written, General something-or-other, some commander in Demogorgon's army - in Farshore.)

Another aside: my original plan was to keep increasing the difficulty of the encounters until the party died, eventually stomping them with an overworm if they lasted long enough. I ditched this idea for obvious reasons and I recommend you avoid it, too. Bad way to start the campaign :C

There Is No Honor (TINH)
When Lavinia asked them to help her save her brother from the bad crowd he'd fallen in with, they recognized him from the prologue. Right there, they all had an expectation that he would be (i) an important NPC, and (ii) an ally.

Also, as mentioned elsewhere, I had Vanthus dragged off to the Isle of Dread by his parents for character development (rather than being sent to some random place - I don't even remember where the original AP said he was) while Lavinia went to Thenalar Academy. I figured this fit much better for all kinds of reasons. This didn't really come into play much until later in the campaign, but I added one detail when the party gets into Vanderboren Vault under Castle Teraknian. When they left the vault with Lavinia's treasure and debt notes and stuff, one of the PCs started feeling horribly depressed every time someone mentioned "Vanthus" or "Vanderboren." They eventually discovered there was a locket of a small girl in that PC's pockets. She was an intelligent item with very few abilities beyond empathy/telepathy, 30' sight, and the ability to dimension door herself once per day. Vanthus picked her up on the Isle of Dread from one of Xiureksor's half-dragon kids. (Xiureksor, one of the Infamous Seven, played a large part in the campaign.) She helped him break into his Uncle Ventrue's secret room in Farshore, where he found the Book of Infinite Spells that let him summon his first demon lord...he brought her back with him to Sasserine and used her to help him break into the vault, then abandoned her. She was kind of naive and romantic and sort of in love with him...when she found out about all his dastardliness, she had a breakdown and eventually became Lavinia's sort of adopted sister.

Anyway, the point of all that rambling is that she was seemingly not very important at the beginning but tied into a lot of stuff that happened on the Isle of Dread later, as well as a lot of the stuff that Vanthus had done.

Lastly, Parrot Island...

When the party started looking around for Vanthus, I had Vanthus (disguised as a mute beggar) follow them around along with the shifty fellow who led them to Parrot Island in the first place. (As I recall Vanthus was waiting there. I could be wrong...but anyway, having him literally within arm's reach the whole time they were looking for him just rubbed salt in the wound later.) Here's what happened after he stabbed the informant and tossed him down to his death:
********************************************
A shadow blocks off the sunlight in the shaft, and a mocking voice spirals down from above.

"So, these are my sister's pets...a pity. You should have stayed away from us. I had hoped to one day receive you in our manor and thank you properly for saving my life. Unfortunately, circumstances make that unlikely, so please accept both my gratitude and my regrets. I do not believe we shall meet again."

Vanthus stands and retrieves a small object from his sabretache, staring it contemplatively before letting it fall. "Something for the ferryman," he calls, a moment before it strikes the floor with a metallic clank. "Give my regards to Penkus!"

In a moment he has closed the trap door and you hear an ominous grinding coming from above.
********************************************
The thing he tossed down was a bag full of platinum coins from the Abyss, used there to pay Charon and the ferrymen. This was, perhaps, going to come back waaaaaay at the end of the campaign, when the party actually runs into Charon, but sadly, we never made it there.

The informant was stabbed to death with silver needles. When the party left for Kraken's Cove, they had an opportunity to hear that Keltar Islaran (I think was his name) - the Harbormaster - had been murdered the night before in the same fashion. Vanthus killed him to help Rowyn consolidate her hold on the harbor trade.

Also, politics: see this post. This is another opportunity to make Lavinia a contributor to the party's exploits, not just a beneficiary.

Lastly: Churtle the kobold. You can, of course, do whatever you like with her. However, in my experience, PCs love quirky kobold henchmen, I don't know why :) Also, if you decide to go really overboard with Rowyn's sabotage during TSWW, Churtle's expertise in poison can, you know, provide an out for you so everyone doesn't die horribly of poisoning. My PCs were properly paranoid so it wasn't an issue with them, but...

The Bullywug Gambit
Not much worth changing here, in my opinion:

1) "Random encounter" - while on their way to Kraken's Cove, the party spots a troupe of bullywugs in the distance, slopping their way through the marsh in the general direction of Sasserine.

2) Harliss will come back as an ally later in the campaign...if possible, you should make sure that she and the PCs part on good terms. If any of your PCs are sailors or reformed pirates, they may even recognize her. One of my PCs (who had issues roleplaying from the very beginning...but that's another story) threatened Harliss with violence unless she helped them. I have just one recommendation: if someone in your group is stupid enough to do that, well...I mean, don't kill everyone, but, you know, humiliate them. There are plenty of times in the future when the party is going to have to deal with people more powerful than them. This is an excellent place to emphasize the importance of Diplomacy.

3) If you're interested in the obyrith conspiracy I wrote about somewhere else on here, it's easy enough to drop a few Dagon references among the bullywugs, especially Bua Gorg.

4) I had Fleur (the locket I mentioned above) really ingratiate herself to the party by dimension dooring into Drevoraz's face when the fight started, giving Lavinia an opportunity to get to safety, grab a rapier, and start killing bullywugs. I also had Bua Gorg fill the room with fog cloud and enlarge himself. The suddenly huge bullywug rampaging through the party in cramped quarters was very memorable.

5) The encounter with Diamondback. See this post.

6) Kraken's Cove is one of the very, very few on-screen appearances of the Savage Tide. Since stopping the Savage Tide is, well, the whole point of the campaign, you should make it as memorable as possible. Make the savage creatures dangerous and dramatic and make it clear that the contagion will spread beyond the 1-mile radius of the initial Savage Tide. For this particular reason I also had another shadow pearl go off in a city the PCs passed in TSWW, just so, you know, they don't forget about it by ToD when Vanthus and the Savage Tide make a reappearance.

7) Finally - just as with the Savage Tide, Vanthus disappears for a looong time here. Just make sure the PCs don't forget about him.

Eh, such a long and disorganized post. Really, if you want to know what I did, you should just read the posts I made :P But I will try to post more later anyhow. I guess this is much shorter, huh...

Also on the Lavinia thing, remember that - unlike most of the other NPCs - she is NOT a noncombatant. Following the events of Bullywug's Gambit she stops taking Aristocrat levels and starts leveling up in a combat class

I just removed - sorry, "retrained" - her Aristocrat levels. In my campaign she ended up with (I believe) a level or two each of Fighter and Rogue (some swashbuckler-y archetype, forget which) followed by a lot of Duelist. At some point in there she picked up an enchanted pistol and the party theurge, with whom she ended up being romantically involved, made her an enchanted rapier (named Osprey, if anyone is interested :). She ended up killing Vanthus with that rapier during the Siege of Farshore, literally at the last possible second before his nightmare mount would have ethereal jaunted him to safety. :D

While we're on the subject of removing Aristocrat levels, I did the same thing to Vanthus. At the end of the day he was a Lemorian Antipaladin9/Assassin5 with all kinds of poison and magic items. The last round of combat with him was probably the single most epic round of combat I have ever DM'ed. :D

I think Rowyn Kellani had Aristocrat levels too...can't remember. By the time she showed up on the Sea Wyvern she was a Rogue2/Bard(Sandman)10 with about 12,000 gp of poison. >:D

In fact wasn't it Red Shroud who sent Sutolore to fiddle around with Zotzilaha's stuff in the first place? Or was that Malcanthet?

It was Malcanthet who sent Sutolore, although Red Shroud knows about it and tells the party when they meet with her (if they are sufficiently diplomatic and tell her they have the Tooth of Ahazu).

It was not Malcanthet, but Red Shroud, and she does not loan it to the group, but sell it, and I seem to remember that is was for 40,000 go, but my memory might be wrong.

I checked, and I had misremembered. The party can buy a key for 40,000 gp plus Red Shroud's tax, the amount of which I forget. If she is made Helpful she lifts the tax, reducing the cost. However because the party has to pay 10,000 gp to her directly to meet with her in the first place, they end up paying 50,000 gp, minimum, to get to the Wells of Darkness one way or another.

There is also a portal in Red Shroud's palace that leads to the Wells of Darkness that can only be activated by a tooth of one of the beings imprisoned there. Red Shroud tells them about this if she knows they have the Tooth of Ahazu, so they can use that for free (well, after they pay her 10,000 gp for an audience in the first place). However, I thought this was kind of convenient (in a deus ex machina kind of way, rather than a planar conspiracy kind of way), so...Besides, a plane shift focus is a lot easier to figure out what to do with than a random demon fang O_o

Also, there was one more factor in my decision to swap the Tooth of Ahazu out...basically, in order to really benefit from it (other than possibly using it as a portal key), the party would have to either: (i) install it in someone's mouth, or (ii) toss it into the Well of Ahazu. (i) requires substantial spiritual risk for minimal payout. (ii) requires the party to make a shady deal with an evil outsider, which is fine, except that they may have already done that with Red Shroud and, with or without the rewrites I made to the end of the campaign, would have had to do that about ten times in "Enemies of My Enemy" anyway. I figured sparing them one more demonic bargain would probably improve morale. Wells of Darkness sees them freeing a demon lord already...a good-aligned party shouldn't have to do that AND help Ahazu the Seizer along on his path to evil godhood or whatever AND butter up five or six other demon lords immediately after...plus, the way I had written the end of the campaign there was a chance the party would end up giving the Crown of the Abyss to Pale Night anyway in exchange for the layer of Androlynne. Talk about a catch-22 for a good party: save a generation of otherwise doomed eladrin children, but hand over the Crown of the Abyss to the most evil being in the entire multiverse, or take the Crown themselves in a (no doubt futile) attempt to dilute the evil of the entire Abyss with their own good alignment, knowing that Pale Night would wipe out the eladrin in reprisal? So...yeah...

Of course, if Vanthus successfully betrayed Big D at the last second and took the Crown for himself, then killed everybody, that particular thorny question would have been avoided ^^

Ahh, I did remember another change I'd made.

Zotzilaha...when the party got their reward from him I added in personalized magic items for everyone, but the big change was that, instead of the Tooth of Ahazu (which I thought was kind of silly anyway, not to mention an extremely tenuous link with "Wells of Darkness"), they found a tuning fork (for plane shift) attuned to the Wells of Darkness. It took them forever to even figure out what it was (in fact, it took them until someone got access to plane shift, ohoho), and the campaign fell apart before they used it or discovered the layer it was attuned to.

In fact, in Dungeon 148's "Savage Tidings" explores the cost of these rods, and they are not free. (There is a post on a message board about plane shift around here somewhere that has exact values, if you don't have that issue.) It turns out that a fork attuned to the Wells of Darkness is valued to - heh - the tune of 40,000 gp.

So...Pale Night's minions left them a much more substantial clue that something was on that layer, and saved them a large amount of money at the same time. And that's assuming they could even have found one on the open market.

Granted, I believe that as written, Malcanthet just loans them a fork for the Wells of Darkness that she just conveniently has on her, but...foreshadowing! Besides, it ties in so well with the rest of the conspiracy (and justifies the kind of insane lengths that someone went to - stealing the idol, placing it in some random dungeon, ensuring that the PCs find it, and ensuring that they would have to return it, and thus find the item left in its place - in order to get the PCs ready to free Shami-Amourae in the first place). Besides, who doesn't love to see the looks of dawning comprehension when the players realize they've been manipulated by cosmic forces the entire time? >:) And all this time they thought they were just chasing Vanthus! ^^

For what it's worth, the first part of my campaign log (up until the point where my group fell apart...about 2/3 of the way through) is here. Here is a link to the campaign's website, which has A LOT of resources I put together...most of it is stuff you probably don't need, like a new class and a new oracle mystery, but there are expanded versions of Larissa's journal and Vanthus's diaries, map scans, and (if you're interested) the rest of the campaign log.

As far as general stuff goes, towards the end of the first thread I linked to, you will find some plot changes I made. If you search on the boards you will find a lot more, but obviously I think mine are the best ;) (In particular, the alterations to Rowyn's sabotage made for great roleplaying...and I was really looking forward to the end of the campaign, having rewritten a lot of the politics involved...)

I will say that I trawled these boards to compile a 300 page or so document of posts with ideas I later went through looking for changes to make to the campaign...that took a long time, but it was definitely worth it, because there are a LOT of good ideas on here.

Possible pitfalls:

1) The players must LOVE Lavinia and HATE Vanthus. Period. Those two PCs motivate like 75% of the campaign. If the players don't care about them you will have a hard time convincing them to do certain things...like sail to the Isle of Dread (installment 3), attack Scuttlecove (installment 8, I think), or sail into the Abyss itself to break into Demogorgon's personal prison to rescue Lavinia (installment 9). Personally, I just enforced that all PCs must be good-aligned. This prevented a few sticky moral issues from causing a rift between PCs based on alignment (which usually turns into a rift between players) and gave them a lot of reasons to do certain things which advanced the plot and helped everyone have a good time.

2) The wreck at the end of installment 3, and the subsequent journey to Farshore, present their own set of problems...you can just kill all the NPCs (except the 4 mentioned in the adventure), and if you play them smart, the bar-lguras will kill EVERYONE. I added together the PCs' Profession (sailor) checks, divided by 2, and allowed that many NPCs to survive (in my case, all of them). That isn't as much of a logistical headache as it seems, because most of them are non-combatants. Allowing the party to bond with Farshore's future citizens gives them added motivation to save the colony.
For the same reason, I had Lavinia be aboard the Sea Wyvern when the first storm stranded it in the sargasso, after which she remained with the party throughout the second storm, the wreck, the overland trek across the Isle, and the rescue mission in Fogmire. I strongly recommend this, because otherwise the party will not have much contact with her at all. Since Vanthus is gone for the whole space between installments 2 and 5, the party will forget about him unless you are careful (or unless they really hate him - which they should). It really helps later to have Lavinia become a familiar presence. Plus, you can use this opportunity to display her leadership qualities and resourcefulness. That way, the party will be a lot less likely to view her as a figurehead and/or damsel in distress, which will come in handy later when Vanthus comes back for her.

3) Just to repeat: Vanthus and Lavinia are the core of the campaign. In particular, it's a loooong time between the incident at Kraken's Cove, where the party is first exposed to the horrible danger of the shadow pearls, and the siege of Farshore, which is the next time we see them again. The Savage Tide gets sort of forgotten between installments 2 and 5, and if that was the party's motivation for doing anything, they will lose that motivation long before Vanthus shows up in Farshore with a shadow pearl. It's only late in the campaign that Demogorgon even comes into focus as the villain. 2/3 of the campaign revolves around helping Lavinia and chasing down...and always failing to catch...Vanthus. (Until they finally kill him...and he comes back.)

A lot of people say that the end of the campaign falls off, and their players stopped caring. It's really easy to let what should be an epic invasion of the Abyss turn into a generic "attack monsters" series of dungeon crawls. The key to avoiding this is to keep things personal and build up to the shadow pearl conspiracy as a natural and gradual extension of chasing Vanthus and saving Lavinia.

Phew, that's a lot. See the links above and/or the rest of the boards for more ideas. It's worth taking the time to do! I don't check these boards all that often, but next time I come by I will check and see if you have any specific questions.

Aha, well, I'm glad people like it :3

I will be interested to hear how things work out. Make sure you post and let me know! I'm particularly interested in what becomes of Vanthus, as he is my favorite NPC of all time, at least after I changed a lot of stuff about him >_>

I figured he was just too...I dunno, too petty, the way he was written. I mean, his motivations were great: kill his parents for the inheritance and - sort of - for revenge, an incestuous desire for his sister, and unchecked ambition leading to his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Crimson Fleet. But he just sort of bumbled his way through all of that in a lot of ways...then at the very end when Nulunga gets up and flies around in his corpse, it was just too much. The adventure even says the campaign's original villain has "come back," but really he was just a larva writhing around while his dilapidated zombie body flailed at the party. Having him reappear AGAIN as a balor just seems so much more fitting, especially since he could make a treacherous bid for the Crown and snatch victory from the party at the last second, one more time for old times' sake!

1) I don't know much about Mythic stuff (I have taken a look at it but not an in-depth enough look to know whether I like it better than the horribly broken Epic system - although I trust Paizo more than WotC).

2) I don't have Skull and Shackles.

3) Due to the circumstances under which this campaign fell apart, it will probably be some time (if ever) before I consider revisiting it. I have the feeling I would be constantly comparing new PCs to old ones, subconsciously shoehorning old relationships (Vanthus, a PC's romance with Lavinia, Tavey becoming a cohort...) into the new campaign, which I would hate if I was a PC...

4) While I'm here, I would like to add one random plot deviation I forgot (I may come back to add more later, if I ever remember :)

...it's a small-ish detail, but I was really looking forward to seeing the looks on everyone's faces: when Charon rises up out of the Styx pool after the party recovers Shami-Amourae (and by the way, I was always worried about that encounter...Styx water flooding the pit seemed like an easy way to (i) TPK, and (ii) permanently destroy the memory they were looking for, making the adventure impossible to conclude), I was going to have him act more or less the way he does as written...but when the party finally readies their assault on Gaping Maw, I was going to have him appear again in similar fashion, rasp out something like "permission to come aboard?" and basically pilot the Sea Wyvern. I had this epic vision of the Sea Wyvern, piloted by Charon himself, sailing into Gaping Maw at the head of a fleet of demonic ships, celestial dreadnaughts, and whatever else they had come across.

Honestly, like I said, it's a fairly small change to the scenario...but Charon piloting the Sea Wyvern! Much better than him being off somewhere commanding a yugoloth army or something.

...alas, that it will never be. *sniff*

:(

I know, right?

While I'm here, I did forget to mention one other small, but important, alteration to the overall backstory of the campaign: somewhere on the boards, way back, someone had suggested that Vanthus may have been shipped off to the Isle of Dread to separate him from Lavinia (so they would stop getting into so much trouble). The idea was that while Lavinia was sent off to the strict Thenalar Academy for Girls, Vanthus would be learning the value of hard work and simultaneously becoming more involved with the family business, which he would one day likely be involved in.

Well...we all know how well that turned out, right?

Anyway, I filled in what had happened to him a lot on the trip. Crimson Fleet pirates attacked the expedition and his parents and Uncle Ventrue led the crew in repelling the attackers. (Ventrue, remember, was a wizard/retired adventurer, and I can't remember if it was canon or not but in my campaign at least, his mother was a druid with access to at least 5th-level spells, and his father was a fighter). I had the young and impressionable Vanthus sneak into the fight and, through massive luck, escape a narrow death at the hands of a brutish pirate, instead killing the man himself. (Whether this was due to the protective influence of scheming obyriths whose plans required him to stay alive for a few more years was never really answered, but there was a lot of speculation amongst the party when they read about this in his journal.) His parents were veeeery mad at him for not staying in the cabin like he was supposed to.

There was also (I'm not really telling this in chronological order...) a hadozee mate on the Blue Nixie who Vanthus was supposed to learn good habits from. During the course of his diary Vanthus matured a little, his diary entries going from outright racism and resentment to eventual respect and even interest in, among other things, navigation by the stars. It looked like our Vanthus was going to turn over a new leaf!

Sadly, Vanthus also had his share of disreputable associations at Farshore...among which was an encounter with one of Xiureksor's numerous children. Vanthus was attacked by the half-dragon but during the intervening time since the first time he killed a man, his hadozee friend had taught him various underhanded ways to defend himself (read: rogue) and he managed to kill his attacker with a poisoned blade. On the body he found Fleur, the intelligent locket that came into the party's possession in "There Is No Honor" in Teraknian vault, and which caused some drama once they encountered the previous owner's mother on the Isle itself.

Ultimately, though, he seemed to be making progress...until his parents sailed for Sasserine without him. They had good reasons for doing so (details in Vanthus's journal on the above-linked campaign site), but...whoops.

So Vanthus regressed rapidly and ended up summoning a demon lord with uncle Ventrue's book of infinite spells...except that rather than having him summon one of Demogorgon's random generals, he summoned Pazuzu.

>:)

That's actually what inspired the whole obyrith conspiracy plotline anyway. But...really...it just fits so well.

Anyway, that's it. Someday I will probably run this campaign again because it's just too good not to finish. If that ever happens I will probably come back to these boards to say so. In the meantime I will be around periodically, I'm sure. If I have the chance I will post some of the illustrated handouts I produced for the site, and at some point I will probably post the finished version of the Kensai class and the Sun oracle mystery I wrote for the campaign. If anyone has any questions or requests for information or whatever you can PM me and I will *try* to remember to check for PMs every now and then. I make no promises, though. Happy gaming!

Hi all,

It is with great regret that I announce the indefinite hiatus of the campaign due to irreconcilable real-world differences between two people in our group, and certain real-world issues that made it impossible to replace anyone with a new PC.

To anyone who will ever play in one of my campaigns, stop reading, because there is a nonzero chance I will someday DM the Savage Tide again, and major spoilers follow. :)

It is doubly a shame because the most exciting part of the campaign was coming up, full of plot twists both written into the AP by its authors and of my own devising. In my opinion neither Vanthus, the Crimson Fleet, nor the Savage Tide itself were really credible threats as written by the time the party invades The Wreck (having already killed Vanthus once and destroying the source of the shadow pearls), and so I had planned to remind everyone exactly what the world stood to face. Here are the major changes that I was going to incorporate, for the benefit of any DMs still running this excellent AP. They're in no particular order.

1) The semi-prophetic dreams the party received at the beginning of each installment were sent by the ancient obyrith lords of the Abyss. Most of them were from Pale Night, but Dagon and Pazuzu each contributed one, and Obox-ob was going to send one of the remaining ones. It was to be revealed in "Enemies Of My Enemy" that the entire campaign has been orchestrated by the obyriths in a bid to retake the Abyss from the tanar'ri. I was going to replace Iggwilv and to some extent Malcanthet with Pale Night and while Orcus and Malcanthet were going to play roles in the final alliance, mostly it would have been the obyriths. Dagon's millennia of advice to Demogorgon at Wat Dagon were subtly steering him towards the Savage Tide, setting up a scenario the Upper and Lower Planes alike would unite behind stopping, leading to his death. Pale Night planned to guarantee that the Crown of the Abyss would pass back to Obox-ob by offering to trade the Abyssal layer of Androlynne, which she rules, and in which she torments and hunts an entire generation of celestial children, for the Crown if a PC were to take control of it. What heroic PC could resist the trade? They would save a generation of celestials from certain, eventual doom, and avoid their own inevitable descent into evil if they took up the title of Prince of Demons.

2) Vanthus was going to come back...again. After being killed in Divided's Ire, his soul would, with no help from Demogorgon, be transformed by the Abyss into a balor (because Vanthus is just a total badass, let's face it). Seething with hate, he would have approached Demogorgon and offered to guard the Master Pearl, knowing that the party would eventually make their way to him. During the final battle, he would help Demogorgon kill everyone, but when the Prince of Demons fell, the final, traitorous blow was to have been by Vanthus's blade...after which he would then claim the Crown of the Abyss and become the next Prince of Demons, as well as the *real* final boss of the campaign. I can't express how much I was looking forward to this :(

3) Vanthus sired a bastard son on a succubus in Scuttlecove while still a human. This cambion was in fact Tyralandi's nephew, as the succubus involved was her half-sister Tyranell. There's been a kind of theme that developed throughout my Savage Tide campaign just sort of on its own: saving children. First Tavey, from Rowyn ("The ]i]Sea Wyvern[/i]'s Wake"), then the twin children of two colonists, from Olangru ("Here There Be Monsters"), and now this kid. Since Lavinia had ended up in a relationship with Veerga, who is (a) another woman and (b) a sterile malenti, Lavinia was never going to have any kids of her own, which would have meant that the Vanderboren family would end with her. Adopting Vanthus's cambion son and raising him into a righteous paladin would have solved that problem and been a lot of fun :) My next campaign starts a hundred years after the events of "Prince of Demons" in Farshore, so he will show up there. Vanthus's grave in Farshore was also going to become a permanent gate to layer 88 of the Abyss, opening each year for one day on the anniversary of his claiming the Crown, which would have made the city much more interesting...

4) Before the fight with Cold Captain Wyther on the Wreck, he was going to mock them and fire a cannon in the general direction of Scuttlecove. Instead of a cannonball it would have been an activated shadow pearl...which would then have transformed Scuttlecove into a real City of Chaos...The party had built up a good relationship with Tyralandi, whose alignment I had changed to CN and whose involvement in the Protectorate I had made more earnest, albeit from a desire to control the city more than any real altruism. (She would still have been a hell of a lot better a ruler than the current crazy setup there.) After the party cleared the Wreck they were going to get a sending from one of Tyralandi's pet magic users that she could really use some help getting her people out of the city. All of this was supposed to be a reminder that the Savage Tide was a real threat, since the party hadn't really seen it in full swing since Kraken's Cove, although there were a few other encounters scattered around. Plus, I was going to have Lord Mayor Lavinia allow Tyralandi to set up shop in Farshore. Again, making Farshore more interesting :)

5) As an aside, talking about making Farshore more interesting, by treaty Xiureksor has a permanent seat on the city council in exchange for helping the city fight off the Crimson Fleet. She mainly leaves the town alone because (a) the Isle of Dread teaches all it's inhabitants they are not immortal, and she has no illusions what would happen if she wiped out the colony (adventurers! the bane of every villain), and (b) she makes a ton of money from investing in the town.

6) Back to Cold Captain Wyther...he was going to have had a couple stashes of gunpowder primed and fused in the Wreck, and during the fight there would be explosions and falling ships. He can fly, so what does he care if everything falls down?

That's really about it in terms of big plot adjustments. Personally I think they would have made the campaign much more exciting at the end, particularly (1), (2), and (4). If anyone ever wants to use them in their own campaign, go for it!

If, someday down the line, I start another Savage Tide group, I will probably update this thread accordingly. In the meantime I am writing my own campaign from scratch, and there may be updates about that in another thread starting in a couple months or a year or so. Happy gaming everyone!

Having thought about the feat issue, I could see switching out feats older characters no longer qualify for. Power Attack -> Skill Focus [Knowledge (nobility and royalty)] for an old royal marine, anyone?

Yo.

I looked and can't find this in the rules or on the boards.

Do aging effects change CR? I mean, in the absence of a rule I would just estimate this by rule of thumb (similarly to the simple templates in the bestiary), but I wanted to know if there's a rule somewhere.

Failing that, does anyone have any instructive anecdotes? It seems like it would be very situational and I'm curious to see what people think.

Obviously an old fighter would be less of a threat (unless old = high-level), but an assassin (increased DC for instant-death effect), a wizard fireballing the party from the balcony of his tower, etc.

Mainly I guess the biggest danger, from a PC's standpoint, would be increased DCs on instant-death effects. Higher DCs on damaging spells, charm spells, etc. would be dangerous on average but probably not enough to change the encounter drastically. All three mental ability scores can influence instant-death attacks from casters, but Intelligence (assassin) and Wisdom (quivering palm) at least can have that effect on more martial-oriented classes as well. Monks, in particular, age very well, even if they haven't hit 17th level yet.

Further, what happens if a character qualifies for a feat with a physical ability score prerequisite when younger, but the required physical ability score decreases below the prerequisite threshold with age? Normally I believe the feat would become useless (and I can see that both from a mechanics and flavor point of view - "when I was your age, I could Power Attack with the best of 'em) but I could imagine a special case. Some feats, like Double Slice, would become useless with a too-low Strength score no matter how you rule that.

What do people think?

Thanks for the advice so far.

Just to clarify, I wasn't looking for a loophole - I already knew that I would need a license to do that legally, but wanted input about that specifically.

Does anyone know who (besides Paizo some years back, obviously) has licensed from them? I know "Tomb of Horrors" was licensed to somebody at about that same time, but I don't know of anything recent.

As far as using intellect devourers, I won't. I'm not super invested into publishing this somewhere, it was more of a "hey guys, look at this cool thing I made" kind of thing. It doesn't hurt to poke around, though.

At some point I would like to talk to an actual person at WotC about this (not just a customer service rep) but like I said, I'm in no rush.

Anyone who has experience with licensing, from WotC or not, I'd still be interested to hear what you say.

Your quite specific expectations regarding the monster used are partly fulfilled (1 and 2) by OGL intellect devourer, while the third one can be added in the plot (which also applies to illithids as their origins in the future are relatively recent addition to mind flayer lore and are not universally recognized).

Additionally intellect devourer is the Paizo's chosen replacement for the illithids in their products.

Thanks for your reply. It is something worth thinking about, but I would prefer to exhaust all other possibilities first. I anticipated a lot of "use X monster" or something, which I appreciate (I wouldn't have thought to use intellect devourers) but isn't what I'm looking for :)

The most common misconception of copyright law.

The answer is that it makes absolutely NO difference whether you are charging for something or giving it away free when it comes to matters of copyright and intellectual property. IF WOTC had intended to make something available for free use, they'd have included it on the SRD.

Ya, I figured that out sometime after I sent them the letter (it took a very long time for them to get back to me). That's why I'm asking this in the first place - if I could get around all of this by making it free, I wouldn't need advice :)

So in lieu of consulting "a lawyer or other legal professional," while I understand nothing I read on these boards is legally binding or whatever, this seems like a logical first step :)

I find it kind of bizarre (but not surprising) that they can't/won't answer any of my questions.

Thanks again in advance for any help!

EDIT: I should mention that I have gone through the pdfs in the link they sent me. The only thing they clarify is that using the OGL and the 4E GSL together is prohibited. This is one reason for me not to consider 4E, but doesn't explain what to do about non-4E interpretations.

And here is their response:

Hello John,

Wizards of the Coast cannot provide assistance with or legal interpretations for questions related to the Game System License. The webpage containing the System Reference Document (SRD) also contains the Game System License FAQ, as well as other information regarding our licenses. I’ll provide a link below.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/welcome

If you require further assistance with something beyond what can be found on our website, we recommend you consult with a lawyer or other legal professional qualified to interpret such documents.

Take care and good gaming!

Here is the text of my letter to WotC:

Hi!

The D&D 4E GSL sect. 5.7 says:
"Licensee expressly acknowledges Wizards’ ownership of all imagery and artwork contained in 4E, and Licensee expressly agrees it will not reprint any such imagery or artwork without Wizards’ written permission."

Section 9.1 says:
"No right, title, or interest in the Licensed Materials or any Wizards Intellectual Property is transferred by this License. Licensee understands and agrees that it is not authorized to, and will not utilize, any Wizards Intellectual Property (other than Licensed Materials), including without limitation any trademarks owned by Wizards, except and unless Licensee has entered into a separate licensing agreement with Wizards authorizing such use."

The OGL v1.0a sect. 7 says:
"7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity."

1) The 4E GSL is applicable only to 4E, but some "product identity" IPs are not just limited to 4E. For example, beholders have been around since way before 4E. Section 9.1 implies that there is a separate path for licensing such "product identity," like if I wanted to publish, with a 3rd-party publisher, an adventure using beholders. However, after looking on your website for a long time the closest I could find to a mention of this was a link to this email form. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

2) The GSL doesn't have anything to say about previous editions. Say I want to publish an adventure that includes "product identity" monsters, settings, etc. that is compatible with 3.0E or 3.5E. The OGL covers those but is not much more informative - section 7 also says you have to have a separate "product identity" license.

3) Section 5.7 of the GSL refers only to imagery of product identity IP, and gives a specific list of the D&D monsters that are considered such. Is there a separate list for non-art purposes?

So: if I want to publish a product for sale under the d20 OGL, *and* include some Wizards of the Coast product identity (from 3.XE) then I need a license to do so, and anything I publish would be OGL with the exception of the licensed product identity subject to the terms of the license etc. How do I get/apply for/find out information on such a license?

If there is a difference: how would anything change if it was something I intend to freely distribute, rather than sell?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I am writing a campaign. While it is nowhere near finished yet, I think it is pretty cool and that other people would enjoy it, and so I want to publish it online as a free pdf.

I am writing it using Pathfinder rules because (1) they are what my group uses, (2) I like those rules better than alternatives I am familiar with, such as D&D 4E, and (3) the OGL is, well, open, and therefore there are a lot fewer legal hurdles to go through.

Now, the issue is that one of the central plot elements heavily involves a specific WotC Product Identity monster. Whoops.

So I can do that in my own personal campaign, but as I understand it, not in any form of distributed publication, even a free one. To address four possible objections to that:

1) "Just use a non-PI monster." Unfortunately I really can't. The specific monster is the illithid...any monster that could replace them would have to be psionic, would have to steal brains, and would have to be from the future. (I tried to think of a way to say that without spoilers, but I couldn't. :) Those three elements sort of lay the groundwork for a lot of the campaign's plot. In principle I could probably write a monster that does that...but mind flayers bring up all kinds of associations with anyone who has any exposure to "the world's oldest role-playing game" and exploiting and playing to those expectations is also a large part of why I chose them.

2) "It's impossible, WotC will never let you." This could certainly be true. I hope not. Part of the reason I made this thread is because after reading the OGL and having some unsatisfying exchanges with WotC staff I wanted to get advice from people who know more than me about this.

3) "Talk to a lawyer." Funny you should say that...they said the same thing. This seems like a logical first step.

4) "Try submitting it to WotC as a 4E product." They don't seem very interested in outside submissions these days, and even if they were I kind of really hate 4E. I would still do it if that were the only way, but...

So...

I wrote WotC a letter (which I will post next, along with their response). It wasn't very helpful. My questions are basically:

"What constitutes Product Identity?"

"How do I tell if something is Product Identity or not?" (It's not always obvious, to me at least, and there's no master list of what is and isn't.)

"What is the correct way to approach WotC about that kind of license in order to have a nonzero chance of success?"

"Does anyone have any other advice?"

Anyway, thanks to anyone who answers. I'm sure I'm not the first person to have these kind of questions, but I spend an hour wading through the Paizo messageboards and couldn't find a similar thread.

And here I was expecting this to be an empty thread, all past experience in messageboards notwithstanding O_o

I tend to follow Rule 0 with a handful of caveats:

1. I will call the DM out if I am only informed of a rule change when I try to use an ability that gets changed because of the ability. Often, this is because I wouldn't have taken that ability (usually a feat or spell) if I had known that it wouldn't work the way I thought it did.
As a DM, I do endeavor to state rules changes as I discover something I don't like. I also talk to my players when they level up, so I know what spells, PrCs, feats, etc they want to take, so I can look at them and tell them of any changes.

2. I will DEFINITELY call a DM out if they keep changing the same rules for different encounters. In fact, this is something that's sure to piss me off. If the players are too powerful, don't change their abilities. Make the monsters tougher. Once a PC has earned an ability, making that ability weaker is going to make that player feel like he wasted his time.
As an exception, if they say "Hey, I want to try this and see if it works, so we're doing it this way for now. I might change it again if it doesn't work," then change it later, I'll usually be okay. I don't mind on-the-fly playtesting of house rules.

Basically, yes, the DM CAN change a rule whenever he feels like it. But if he's not consistent about it, or if I feel like he's using Rule 0 to screw me over, I'm not going to be happy. At the very least, I want to know when my abilities are changed BEFORE I've locked them into place.

Yes, absolutely. I have a minor quibble with what you say about PC abilities...sometimes a given PC ability can get out of hand and turn into a major power imbalance. This happened to me exactly once (it involved something that worked fine at lower levels, but at upper levels basically let the rogue, who is something of a munchkin, apply sneak attack damage twice for every time he got a sneak attack in...), and really there was no way to fix this short of just quadrupling monster hit points. I basically told him, "OK, this isn't working, let's try [insert modified rule here]." He wasn't too happy about it but he did recognize that it had gotten ridiculous. Now he can still get some utility out of the changed ability, and he no longer one-shots everything all the time.

However, in this case it was my fault for not thinking the proposed rule change through sufficiently. I completely agree that ideally such things would never happen, and in practice, except for that one time, that's how I've done things.

I also admit that I occasionally do things inconsistently. Usually this is because we had a situation where the rules were open to interpretation, and we decided a house rule for it...then the same situation comes back months later when I've forgotten about it, and I rule something different.

e_e

My players are always happy to remind me, though :)

I have to say you can't always expect a GM to change something just because, and when asking for advice on what class to take (like Mystic Theurge) people shouldn't give advice based on IF the GM MIGHT buff the class for them.

Sure, but if everyone on the message boards says Mystic Theurge is underpowered, and one of my players thinks so, and I agree...well, that's what DMs are for, isn't it?

At our table the first rule we vetoed was rule 0. There is no rule 0. Rules changes are decided by the table, not by the gm. Of course, we're a table full of gms, so really it is the gm making all the rule changes... Its just a lot of them. Everyone has the power to make a suggestion. Nobody has the unilateral power to make the change.

I believe that this would work with a group such as you describe. However, the groups I've DMed have always needed someone to lay down the law. Not in a totally despotic way - but sometimes, rules discussions don't go anywhere and it's more fun for everyone if the DM just says "yes, you can hide inside an ally's lungs in gaseous form, but they have to hold their breath." [Wow, I need to remember that idea.]

The rule that supersedes even rule 0, is rule -1

Rule zero: what the DM says goes, often called the "rocks fall, party dies" rule
Rule negative one: if the players aren't having fun nobody wins, the players can always leave.
That said the dm's job is in part to never have situation where rule negative one comes up, in my experience rule negative one has come up all of one time, and it was the younger brother of the DM, he just up and left

This is also completely true.

I like to follow Rule 0 when it's a deliberate choice and not an omission or misuse of other rules. I can ignore any rule I want, but I need a reason to do so beyond "just because.

I can break any rule I want at my table and my players would go along with it because I have earned their trust. They know I'm going to play fair and not set out to screw them without reason. They might argue -mostly to be sure I know the rules- but will stop if I make a firm decision. Because of trust.

Exactly!

I think any GM that has to call out "Rule Zero" has failed. Period. If a GM is doing their part/role correctly then the players are having a good time and the game is going well. There is not need to remind the players about "Rule Zero".

...but part of the DM's role is to arbitrate the rules. I agree that shouting out "Rule 0! Discussion over!" is probably a good way to lose your players, but...it sounds like you're claiming that the DM should house rule anything. Don't agree with that.

I agree with what you are trying to say, but I generally try to make rules changes between sessions since I hate to be caught off guard. If a rules change invalidates a character concept or how it works mechanically I allow the player to adjust the character or make a new one if it is really going to be an issue.

Now when I am on the boards I try to leave my personal GM'ing style out of it so I normally use "what the book says" as part of my speech, but at the table I am more lenient. I want the players to have fun, and if that means ignoring certain parts of the rules or allowing a 3rd party feat to help shore a character up then so be it.

Rule 0 is not RAW however. It is the power to ignore RAW and RAI to make your game suit your group. Rule 0 can't change what is printed in the book, and what is in the book is RAW. If the book says you must wear a blue shirt to get a +1 bonus, and the GM says you must wear a red shirt the RAW is still calling for a blue shirt, but the GM's rule for his table can still say red.

I also agree with what you are trying to say :)

The only thing I disagree with is that it isn't RAW...although that's probably up to your interpretation of exactly what "RAW" means. >> Like I originally said, the motivation for posting this thread originally was having read several mystic theurge threads where, out of like 5 pages of threads, I saw very few posts that wasn't some version of "MT sux, you can't play it." (Most of the ones not saying that were advising not to use, for example, a sorcerer because of their delayed spell progression, which I think is perfectly reasonable advice.) If someone in my party wants to play a theurge (or if I want to make a theurge villain, and would rather tweak the class than just add an extra level to make up for a perceived weakness), my response is to fix the problem, so to speak. I think a lot of people who started those MT threads asking for advice on how to play the class best could have used a few responses like that. Don't get me wrong, though, I do love the rules (although there are a few things in some of the second-tier products like Ultimate Magic, etc., that probably could have used a little more playtesting).

For me that rule always meant heavy armor sucked, because my DMs had the crazy notion that hiking in full plate for 8 hours through standard wilderness left you exhausted close to collapse and that swim rolls are superflous because drowning in heavy armor is guranteed, and night encounters were always dangerous, because sleeping in leather according to my DMs is so horrible uncomforting that nobody would ever do it.

Thanks 3.0 for at least partly adressing these problems, which seem to be overlooker in practically any system.

This is an example of what not to do with Rule 0, unless of course you're in a setting where that makes sense. It also seems like your DM needed to do more research. Heavy armor is heavy, but not to the point that you're totally useless in it - as long as you have the training, which the rules take care of. Also, if I was sleeping in goblin-infested mountains, I would sure as hell wear my leather armor regardless of how uncomfortable it might be :P

I use whitelists for character options as it fits the setting. That means there is a (usually relatively short) list of classes, races, and equipment that are available for PCs (which is almost always identical to what NPCs will have). With feats and spells, I usually go CRB only.

I have a similar practice. I actually think this is a great idea. One difference is that I do use the Alignment system, and the item at the top of my whitelist is that PCs either have to be good-aligned, or have to be played by someone I've played with and known for long enough to really trust them. There are some players that can handle intra-party friction, like a paladin butting heads with the CN rogue. And then there are some players that...can't. I have found that restricting the players in this one detail leaves them a humongous amount of freedom and that it's totally worth it. I'm a lot more relaxed about this during a one-shot or short, low-stakes adventure, but for an extended campaign it's really important for people and PCs to be compatible.

That rule also provides a great way to reign in certain players. I, uh, once played with this one "lawful neutral" warlock who really liked...executing...everyone. At a certain point that kind of behavior does veer into non-lawful-neutral territory. Having everyone on the same page from the beginning about out-of-game alignment expectations makes it a lot easier to enforce related alignment stuff in game.

But anyway. :)

[previews post]

Sorry about the wall of text ><

Want to see what people do with the oft-overlooked Rule 0: that the DM is the final arbiter of rules, period. He can change, make up, and remove any rule at any time.

Like any great power (of which being a DM is one of the greatest), you must exercise responsibility.

Responsibility means not abusing it to screw with your players or advance your own agenda. Responsibility means making any changes to rules 1+ very clear and staying consistent. Responsibility means working with your players if they want you to change or allow something, or if you want to change something. Responsibility means going back every so often to ask, "is the change I made too powerful? Do I need to change it again?"

It's the most important rule, and is in fact RAW according to the Core Book.

A lot of people forget about it. I just wrote a rant over in some mystic theurge thread. Some poor soul was asking how to play a theurge...90% of the posts boiled down to "MYSTIC THEURGE SUX DONT TAKE IT." A better solution is for him to work with his DM to make changes so it is less underpowered, to not make it overpowered, and to monitor any balance issues that may arise on an ongoing basis.

So...not just related to the topic of mystic theurges...what do other DMs and players have to say about this?

TLDR: rule 0 is that the DM decides what the rules are - so many people forget this. And it's RAW because the Core Book tells you this...but read on.

I feel compelled to say that, in my campaign, one of my PCs has been playing a wizard/druid/theurge. From about 7-8 levels she was "behind" the other party caster in terms of total damage output, but about half of that was because she donated most of her treasure to another PC who ended up being the main tank and damage dealer of the party.

As of now she just cashed a large amount of loot and has Int and Wis in the high-ish 20s, a metamagic rod of quicken, and I don't remember what-all else. Feats like (Greater) Spell Penetration and the trait that increases your caster level (forgot what it's called), an orange ioun stone (+1 CL for a very reasonable price), and so forth also make a big difference, as does the Allied Caster feat (which she and the other casters in the party have all taken). The Theurgy feat from Ultimate Magic also provides a use for some of those leftover spell levels for many theurge-players. (For the record she loves her character and hasn't felt underpowered at all...)

As someone in some other old old thread said, it also helps to not overlap with your other party members. If you have a cleric, try druid as your divine class. And so forth.

Also...rule 0 is that the DM decides the rules and the rulebooks are just guidelines. That should ALWAYS be the first response to anyone who is (1) a rules lawyer (the bad kind), (2) a min/maxer, and (3) has complaints that any given part of the game is "too weak" or "too strong." If one of my players says "it's in the rules with blah blah feats and stuff that I get +30 trip attempts at level 4," I'm going to say "no" and make it clear what the rules really are. If someone says "mystic theurges are underpowered" and it's true based on our experience in the campaign so far then I'll make some slight changes to the rules and tell everyone what they are.

I have in fact semi-recently made several changes both up and down to different things the PCs have taken as items, feats, etc., all of which have served to keep things challenging (people still die) and fun for all of us. I update them on the campaign website so no one is left out of the loop.

To anyone reading this: if anyone tells you that mystic theurges are too weak, and you agree, here's what you do: go up to your DM and ask him to take a look at the PrC with you for half an hour sometime. Both of you should look at different options for base classes, feats, items, etc. Your DM, if he's any good at all, will (assuming that he agrees they are underpowered) make some slight revisions to the rules. He should make them available to everyone in the game so you're all on the same page. He should ALSO periodically revisit those changes. Do they solve the problem? Are they too powerful? Then he should make changes as needed and work with you to do so; in return, you don't pitch a fit if he realizes he just gave you something OP and adjusts it. Your DM should also keep in mind the direction his campaign is going to go and use that to guide his judgment.

No one should say "well, that's house rules, not RAW," to this, either...seriously. Read the Core Book, where it talks about DMing. (Yes, I know they don't call it that.) Right there it will tell you what I wrote at the top of the post...which makes Rule 0 RAW. Even if it didn't say that, common sense, people.

Rules in the books are a GREAT guide and make organized play possible, but if your DM won't work with you to make your concept work, he's not doing his job. That's also what these messageboards are supposed to be for...all I see (at least regarding mystic theurges) are people naively asking "how do I make a good one" and 90% of the posts are "THEY SUCK."

/rant

Thanks for the input. I think for my own use I would avoid the "spiritual connection" level although, presumably, it would be really hard to fool the simulacrum by pretending to be the person it's based off of, or a lover or family member, etc.

Paranoid magic users probably put some kind of safeguard in, but that can always be gotten around with the proper preparations...

EDIT: I should probably add a full disclosure, I am planning to use a bunch of simulacra in an upcoming campaign I'm running, and this is very likely to come up :P

OK, so I have read all the threads on simulacra I can find on this site, used the search function, and looked elsewhere on the internet. As far as I know this is something that hasn't been asked before:

As written, the simulacrum spell creates a simulacrum of ice etc. etc. Then there's this:

"At all times, the simulacrum remains under your absolute command. No special telepathic link exists, so command must be exercised in some other manner."

So, what happens if someone impersonates the creator? Say the creator is an evil NPC wizard. One of the PCs is his good wizard twin brother. They kill the evil dude and the good brother puts on his clothes and tries to order his (the evil one's) simulacra around. What happens?

Taking this further, what about Disguise/alter self/etc.?

Or, what about written instructions?

What if there are two apparently identical creatures giving the orders (say, from the creator and his evil clone from a mirror of opposition)?

I would adjudicate this with a Disguise check vs. the simulacrum's Perception to see through the ruse, with a Bluff check vs. a Sense Motive check if you order it to do something too out of character (prompting it to check in, but not necessarily be too suspicious, depending on a variety of factors). In the case of written instructions there would be opposed Linguistics checks with Bluff if the orders are out of character, or if the simulacrum is suspicious of orders that come through such channels. If the creator gives the simulacrum a passcode that it has to hear every time it receives orders, fine, but that's above-average paranoia. Then the simulacrum would have to make a Bluff check if it wanted to conceal that it knew the orders were false, etc. In the case of the two opposing sets of orders there would be opposed Diplomacy or Bluff checks vs. the simulacrum's Sense Motive.

Simulacra are intelligent so this could lead to an Isaac Asimov-style moral quandary.

This can sort of go all over the map, so I would like to see if there are any "official" rulings, but I think the above is pretty reasonable and covers most circumstances. What do people think?

I realize this thread has been dead for awhile but it's not like necroing a thread is a crime, right? I just wanted to say that while Yog-Sothoth is also my first guess (pretty much along the same reason as the OP, mainly due to the Silver Key), two other possibilities include Yuggoth (if it's not just a planet...? Which it may not be) and Y'golonac, who is also an (albeit less-known) Old One. Also his (?) "portfolio" seems to overlap rather well with the Maure family's personality <<

Hello, anyone who has read my posts! You might notice that there haven't been any new ones for awhile...well, that is because after the last one above, we launched the beta version of our personal campaign website and went live! From the original four, the party has increased to 9: Veerga, Izzy, D'razul, Eroknar, and 'Akahi - a "very trustworthy" Dawa ninja who joined after the party had just begun to suspect that an "unseen thing" (Olangru) was toying with them - are the PCs, and all but one of them has a cohort. They are Mano'moke (a Burowao tetori reincarnated as a terlen), his brother Nohokai, the crippled oracle of the Sun, Tavey Nesk (my personal favorite! Now a magus, thanks to the combined influence of the whole party, who appears to be taking more than her share of punishment), abd'Idris, a survivor (via temporal stasis) from the days when the hadozee ruled the Isle of Dread, wielder of the esoteric "deathstick" of her people.

What a list, huh? You can follow their further adventures at Go to our website at this link. It says "Adult Content Warning" but really there's nothing even NSFW there.

In addition to the detailed chronicles of their exploits, you can find there new magic items bestowed upon the party by the grateful Zotzilaha, the Sun mystery specifically designed for the party's oracle (rather proud of that one), and an UNABRIDGED version of Larissa Vanderboren's experiences on the Isle of Dread, complete with appendices and addenda composed by Lavinia and her assistant/scribe Veerga.

There you will also find a variety of modifications I've made to the campaign, including heavily modified accounts of Vanthus's activities during his long absence from the party's radar. I've been trying to make him a more capable villain than I felt he was in the original version, not just in terms of the much-lamented Aristocrat class levels, but in terms of his gradual (and then much less gradual) descent into darkness. The party ended up doing quite a bit of detective work once they got to Farshore, and...uh, but I shouldn't post the entire campaign now!

For the record, I suppose, Vanthus ended up as a CR 17 Lemorian half-fiend Antipaladin 9/Assassin 5 with a nightmare mount :3 Best encounter since Rowyn Kellani or Olangru! So sad he died T_T But in the end, Farshore's assault force included 9 ships, each with its own half-fiend captain, a flight of 14 wyverns, 6 flesh golems, a contingent of necromancers there to animate the slain and exhume the graveyard...and, uh, I'm doing it again. But Lavinia killed him mid-air as his nightmare was shifting them to the Astral Plane, after leaping off a flying shark, dealing the last 6 hp of damage without any fudging on my part!! I swear, it was awesome!!! (Never have I loved an NPC so much, but he had the best death ever.) OK, I'm shutting up now. Just go to the website <<

And read all sorts of other fun stuff! Come on over and check it out! You're welcome to use any materials you like in your own campaigns, of course or send me a message on the Paizo boards, or leave a comment on the website itself, although it might be awhile before I notice...happy gaming :)

Session 23: In the morning, Izzy memorized remove disease and cast it on Eroknar to cure the savage fever that was even then staining the skin around the hydra bite scars black. More paranoid than ever, s/he also cast it surreptitiously on Lirith and Amella in order to keep it from spreading.

Everyone congratulated Eroknar (except Veerga, who had been mildly interested in the good kensai) and made fun of him.

Lavinia, who had until now spent all of her time aboard the Blue Nixie, signaled her desire to come aboard and spend a tenday on the Sea Wyvern to help stabilize morale in the wake of the recent...happenings. She was received aboard with mixed feelings of delight (because everyone loves Lavinia) and concern (because now she's exposing herself to the saboteur's treachery). Veerga in particular was both happy and worried to see her friend. Tavey as well; she has an almost reverential awe for the great lady who is so well served by the heroes of Sasserine.

Once Lavinia was safely ensconced in the best cabin (which she is now sharing with the party), the PCs embarked on the most thorough search of the ship yet. Detect magic, detect poison, repeated Perception checks, and more pots of hot, delicious truth tea - all for naught. (No further clues or traces were discovered.) There was one interesting (and unexpected) outcome - the party, in convincing the recalcitrant Avner to let them search his quarters, rolled three nat 20s on their Diplomacy checks, swaying Lord Meravanchi's opinion of them considerably.

Life continued quite peacefully (as much as an armed camp can be considered peaceful) as the little fleet made its way to Tamoachan. D'razul and Eroknar continued their afternoon sparring matches, which were joined by Lavinia (who fenced D'razul to a stalemate) and a good deal of the rest of the crew. Tavey joined in as well, and was tutored in the rudiments of arms by the two men, while during the evening, Izzy taught the young cabin boy the first steps of witchly magic. When Eroknar retired to Lirith and Amella's cabin for the evening, Tavey would lay on the floor of the PCs' cabin and sketch or talk to Fleur, while Lavinia and Veerga pored over Larissa's journal and searched through Veerga's small library, hoping to find something that would be of use to them once they reached the inhospitable Isle.

Alas, the peaceful times could not last. The party eventually reached Tamoachan, and the four PCs (accompanied by Urol Furol) set out to explore the ruins hastily, leaving Lavinia, Lirith, and Amella in charge of the fleet. Little did they know that upon their return to the ships, all hell would break loose...

...but first, they explored. Lost Tamoachan, no longer truly lost: a massive, crumbling Olman ruin built into the side of a cliff. As Urol frequently reminded the party, the map he had acquired back in Sasserine indicated a suite of chambers only recently opened by tectonic activity in the region, and (probably) still unlooted. As he chattered happily about the practices of the Olman rulers of ancient Tamoachan, he let slip that the man who gave him the map had narrowly escaped death by basilisk glare in the region.

"Of course, the Olman didn't call them basilisks," the indefatigable gnome continued, practically bursting with eagerness to see one. "No, they trained them and kept their eyes sheltered beneath stone helms, hence their name: the Olman name for basilisk is -"

At which point the party interrupted him, demanding to know why he hadn't mentioned this earlier. Urol stared at them with wide-eyed gnome innocence: "Eh? Why is it important? I've got plenty of stone salve, and besides, you're great heroes!"

Well, of course, the basilisk they eventually encountered petrified Izzy. So much for the "great heroes!"

Actually, however, Izzy was de-petrified before the combat was even over, and two rounds later, the party was happily skinning the basilisk and carving great, juicy, delicious basilisk steaks to take back to the ship while Urol hopped up and down in impatience to continue his archaeology.

A gibbering mouther was crushed beneath a large statue. D'razul triggered, narrowly escaped, and then disabled a flame wall trap. Typical dungeon crawl. In the last room they explored this session, the party came across a series of wall carvings in good condition, depicting the Olman court in all its majesty and splendor. Detective Veerga, always one to pick up the details, noticed that behind the king-figure, in what might be the position of advisors, were two anthropomorphic simians. With no prompting from me or anyone, she immediately decided that the "Huethoxis" mentioned in Larissa's journal and the hadozee are one and the same, basing this wild, unfounded speculation off of the fact that the names are suspiciously similar, and the supposition that the "lost gods" of the Olman might have followed them east when they sailed to the shores of Faerûn.

Session 22: After saving Tavey, the PCs decided to try to track down the culprit. Tavey was able to tell them only that a female voice had ordered her to deliver the cookies, then (if addressed by the same voice) to provide reports, and above all to avoid arousing suspicion. Tavey had been in the hold when she heard footsteps behind her; before she could turn to see who it was, the voice addressed her and she was unable to move. (That would be the geas spell.) Izzy had finished researching her new truth tea spell overnight; at the first opportunity they started interviewing the crew and colonists with the object of narrowing their suspect list still further. Eroknar's amazing Sense Motive check was employed as a backup to the tea.

In the meantime, a thoroughly worried Lavinia went over the ship herself and reassured herself that her good friend Veerga had survived being...well...disemboweled without permanent damage.

The tea was a resounding success, with 0 confessions of sabotage :\

...however, the party did learn several interesting items of background information about several crew members. For example, Pembrooke Pete drinks so inveterately to forget the horrors of past voyages, and in fact served the Vanderborens on their first voyage to the Isle of Dread. Quenge and Barnaby had until recently served Avner's father Zebula before being sent on this journey...apparently (the party concluded), Zebula wanted none of Avner's own cronies with him on the journey. Etc.

Fortunately, the party was about to anchor at Fort Greenrock; as the crew went onshore for their last leave, the party hoped to have the opportunity to watch for suspicious behavior...

...except that Fort Greenrock was deserted and badly damaged. The party found evidence of possible savage creatures from the acid scars on and around the walls...a quick exploration of the fort revealed the remains of a fairly recent carnage, hasty barricading, and the following in a badly-damaged journal in the fort's chapel:

......avel Grinvela...........Sasserine dock.....today. All papers........der. Captain requested we.................three sick men .......................................tracted some.........of fever on their last..........Viewed the men – they........................sweating and hot. All......................................................attack – suspect poison. Agreed.............................

...............worse. Bl.......rash spreading................ wounds. Had to..............them – thrashing and................................their sl...

........-ti sighted moving...........jungle in large........................reblood speaker hailed.............med to ..............................ness in the................eatened our ........ruction unless we........the sick men o.......... them. Did ...........this?

...............worsening. Screami................p. Black ............................bones or..............................but continues to............

Two of the sick..........scaped after attack...........ir guards, bit..............clawing most......agely. The guards ...........................barely human,................................def..............selves.......... swords barely scratched .............

.....................................e yuan-ti! Seven casualt.....: Mor............v, Elaun, Sawm.........argar..... Fre......que, and Orrin. They........abomination – we..................m back.............. cannon. They.......... never att.............e fort before. We are........ree-quarters............... now.

The snake-peo.........turned, driving.......onstr.......beast................... – a hydra....................e third sick man......... berserk when................the screams of......dying, and...........................rough the bars ofhis.................where..................................he could..............................his...................happened to these men?

Two...........................................................from the water during the.........ck – they slew.........al of the..............attacked the hyd.............................killed them. The third................joined the..........before.........cut down. The y.....-ti withdrew............................not before we........twelve more ........Replacements...............................three months yet.

......all have it now. The.......rds .......their sickness unt..............too late – I’ve.........bitten. ..................Palen are finally..................se of us still .........o walk..................to kill .........omrade............ then ourselv......f we can, together ........nrise.

Sounds like sailors infected with savage fever had sailed in from somewhere, infecting the men of the fort when they tried to help. Yuan-ti from the jungle attacked in an apparent attempt to stem the tide...instead, the savage ones attacked them.

Shortly after learning this, as they were attempting to salvage the cannons from the fort, the party was ambushed by the very hydra mentioned by the dying man's last testament! A squamous, squirming monstrosity now, it had been infected by savage fever. It pulverized one of their landing vessels and attacked the party on the shore. Tolin of the Jade Ravens was able to lend his aid, but Eroknar and Veerga were the real heroes here today. Izzy enlarged Eroknar and he waded in with his axe, barely keeping his hit points above the amount of damage the hydra was doing as he whittled down its heads. Veerga charged bravely into melee range with the beast and cauterized the stumps with repeated castings of burning hands. At the end of it, Eroknar's hp were in the single digits (and was slightly dizzy due to his brand-new infection of savage fever) and Veerga was out of spells, but the hydra was dead! For their bravery, I awarded them both hero points (it really was an epic fight).

Eroknar now had 4 hero points. What to do with the extra one? Well, my players apparently knew the answer to that. May I remind you all, before you pass judgment, that half my players are women, and it was their idea O_o

Session 21: Well, now the DM has had his fun. After nearly wiping his players out with a surprise Kyuss spawn army (ah, the nostalgia), he begins plotting how best to kill his PCs next...

...only for them to do all the work for him. :D

Izzy, feeling more than usually paranoid, asked D'razul to go overboard and check to see if the (at this point, purely hypothetical) saboteur had perhaps dived into the water. D'razul of course complied, correctly reasoning that he could probably outswim almost anyone, what with being an aquatic elf.

So, he dove practically into the middle of the flotsam ooze that was even then seeping up from the sea bed below to attack the two vessels. Unfortunately he evaded its grasping pseudopods long enough to get his head above water and scream for the crew to get ready for something BIG. He scrambled over the side of the railing just in time to avoid the ooze (which had started chasing him) as it crashed into the side of the ship and started heaving its bulk out of the churning waters of the bay.

Eroknar, used by now to tanking the big creatures, seized his beloved axe and leaped into melee. One mighty Attack of Opportunity from the ooze later, Eroknar teetered on the brink of death, not having damaged the ooze at all. Izzy and Veerga had to wait awhile for their turn in the initiative.

D'razul's shouts had not gone unheeded by the badass crews of the Sea Wyvern and Blue Nixie, however, who had loaded their bombards. D'razul, in one bound, was at the Wyvern's starboard bombard, which he took command of and fired at the ooze...

...confirming a critical hit. 165 damage later, the ooze had died ignobly, without killing anyone, and without giving the Blue Nixie's sadly underrepresented crew a chance to fire. In celebration the party of course decided to name one of their new "Sea Wyvern's Breath" alcohol products the "Flotsam Booze" in tribute to this victory. While they were congratulating D'razul on the quality of his shot, Tavey brought them some "cookies" (really ship bread sprinkled with sugar) as an excuse to see "his" heroes again.

Izzy and Veerga took the next watch to keep a recovering Eroknar company, while D'razul headed off to sleep in his tub. (Aquatic elves need to spend several hours a day immersed in salt water or they suffocate, so our two aquatic elf PCs have large tubs that they sleep in.) Unfortunately for D'razul, he was not alone in the cabin...

After he had drifted off, a slow dusting of black powder fell from an unseen source into D'razul's tub, slowly clouding the water as it dispersed. D'razul made some Fortitude saves...

Veerga and Izzy collapsed on deck, while Eroknar felt a little woozy...

Skeletal apparitions appeared around D'razul's uneasily sleeping form, and suddenly the already dark water was filled with his red blood as an invisible blade pierced his chest! Weak and dizzy, he nearly died, but miraculously survived the coup de grâce and was able to make it to the room door, shouting for help...only to find it locked.

Eroknar, only then realizing that Izzy and Veerga were unconscious, shouted for assistance from the crew (the rest of whom were belowdecks) as he took his axe to the door of their cabin, getting D'razul out just before a fatal blow would have pierced his guts. Father Feres, still awake as he said his prayers, hustled up on deck and began stripping Veerga naked.

After a moment he realized that there was no Kyuss worm and that this was probably another poisoning attempt (he has a decent Heal check, after all). Still, to make sure, he checked Izzy as well, since poison is slower than Kyuss worms. Fortunately, he had a vial of antitoxin on him and after ascertaining her poisoned condition as well, trickled it down Izzy's throat, giving him/her another Fort save to wake up...which he made, joining the initiative count.

Crench the Mute burst out and, seeing Eroknar and a badly wounded D'razul dueling an invisible opponent, seized an oar and waded into the melee.

Urol Furol, being a gnome, had more antitoxin on his person. After appearing he tossed a vial to Feres, who began treating Veerga. Unfortunately, he was too slow to wake her up before the invisible assassin gave her a coup de grâce, disemboweling her completely, before disappearing without a trace as a furious party searched the deck.

Fortunately, Veerga had just enough hero points to survive the attempt, and with the help of the antitoxin, also made her save to wake up. She tracked footprints in her own blood down into the hold, where she lost the trail - but not before determining that the footprints belonged to a human of medium size. In other words, no hadozee, gnomes, or dwarves, not Tavey, and not anyone with unusually large feet (like Crench). So the list of possible suspects narrowed considerably.

Last, she and Izzy made a sweep of the ship with detect poison and detect magic. They didn't detect any poison (except in D'razul's tub) but...they did discover an enchantment on young Tavey. Specifically, she was, unbeknownst to her guardians Amella and Lirith, cursed with a lesser geas. (Note: we discovered, as an aside, that "geas" is pronounced "gesh." Apparently it's Gaelic. Who knew?) After being discovered, Tavey launched a deadly (but futile) assault against her heroes, who subdued her, but were at a loss how to save her from the debilitating effects of the curse, since none of them had remove curse...

As they worried and seethed with anger at the treacherous saboteur (they discounted the apparent involvement of ghosts almost immediately), Tyr had mercy and sent them inspiration. After a short query, they discovered that Father Feres in actuality can cast the vital spell. He stayed in prayer by Tavey's bed throughout the night praying to Tyr for remove spell. The party of course enjoined him to keep the fact that the geas had been removed a secret, so the assassin would think Tavey still ensorcelled. And as dawn broke, the spell was cast and young Tavey saved.

Nice. :) I love when my players worry. For more music, check out anything (really) by Great big sea. Captain Kidd, Excursion around the bay, Boston and st johns, Drunken sailer, and Barrett's privateers or Northwest passage by Stan Rogers.

Thank you, I will. Music (the right music) can be a great way to set the mood for a memorable encounter...I'm sure my players would agree with me :P

Session 20: One of my favorite sessions so far. Hoo boy, I might have gone a bit overboard with this one, if you know what I mean!

...it's funny 'cuz they're on a ship. Okay, here goes:

While Lavinia was dickering with the soldiers of Fort Blackwell about supplies, the party (and most of the colonists and crew) took a little shore leave within the safety of the fort's walls.

Father Feres, Quenge, and the Jasks spent some time praying in the fort's chapel, which included a small shrine to Tyr.

Veerga, in a surprisingly successful attempt to bond with Avner Meravanchi, offered to help him exercise Thunderstrike in the fort courtyard. What began as an attempt at conversation by our doughty Veerga quickly escalated into an all-out swearing contest. Veerga's Profession (sailor) roll (a nat 20, of course) landed her the victory, after which the awed soldiers of Fort Blackwell gave her the honorary title of "Admiral," and invited both of them to share some of their brew, a spicy concoction distilled in-house from local fruits.

(It was at this time that Veerga, D'razul, Eroknar, and Izzy realized their true calling - manufacturers of fine alcohol. Their new goal, after saving the world from Vanthus Vanderboren, is to make the "Sea Wyvern's Breath" line of fine spirits and ale famous throughout the land. They plan to sail from port to port on the Sea Wyvern, which they will convert into a ship-based brewery, selling alcohol brewed with "yeast from the depths," "hops from the Isle of Dread," and other exotic ingredients. Izzy bartered for a spare still from the soldiers...however, his/her first attempt at brew resulted in what has come to be known as "Sea Wyvern's Disgrace," marketable only to the very cheapest of taverns. They haven't given up, however...)

Anyway, night soon fell. There was a feast! Bowing to requests from the crew, Skald produced his mandolin and began strumming a tune. Quenge joined in with his clear tenor, and Lirith and Amella backed them up. The hadozee got out their accordions and drums.

And I turned on "The Mariner's Revenge Song," by the Decemberists.

If you've never heard it, it is a song played with accordions, drums, a mandolin, and a couple of other instruments. There's a tenor singing the lead, and he is backed up for the chorus by a couple of sopranos. The tune is sprightly, upbeat, and cheerful. The lyrics are...very disturbing.

But everyone was too busy enjoying the feast to pay much attention to the lyrics, and none of them had ever heard the song before. So, Edward and Churtle bring out these heaping platters of food. Izzy, almost as a joke, casts detect poison to make sure that Churtle didn't accidentally poison the food. Veerga, in the spirit of solidarity, did the same thing. (Here it comes!)

Izzy detected nothing. Veerga, on the other hand, detected poison in all of the food, and most of the drink. (Ah, the looks on their faces!) So the two casters have a hurried conversation and Veerga jumps on the table and starts spouting off a toast to Lavinia (to stall people from eating). Izzy surreptitiously tastes the food, using his/her keen alchemical skill to investigate its contents...and discovers, to his shock, that the food was heavily laced with arsenic!

Right about now everyone got reeeeeal quiet for a second, and the chorus to "The Mariner's Revenge Song" started playing...it goes like this: "Find him, bind him, tie him to a pole and break his fingers to splinters. Drag him to a hole until he wakes up, naked, clawing at the ceiling of his grave."

Ahhh...didn't I say this was one of my favorite sessions?

Veerga and Izzy start shouting that everything is poisoned. Pembrooke Pete, who had started drinking a little early, starts screaming that he's dying and goes into (fortunately non-fatal) convulsions. "Saint Geldar's fire" - Pembrooke Pete's "hauntings" - began shining around the mainmast. Almost everyone panicked.

In short, chaos ensued. ^^

It only got worse when, on their way to explain things to Lavinia, Veerga's detect poison (still active, and scanning everything around her) showed poison on herself, Izzy, Eroknar, D'razul, Quenge, Churtle, Crench, and Avner. A quick check revealed that each of these people had an empty flask with whitish residue inside, which a shocked Churtle identified as more arsenic. No one knew how these vials appeared in their belongings.

Anyway, there was a lot of really high-quality roleplaying for the next hour or so as the PCs attempted to figure out what had happened, unfortunately deciding nothing for sure except that none of the other food in the hold was poisoned. Plans to prevent this from happening again were drawn up. One event of note was that, due to being overly paranoid, the party stumbled onto Tavey's secret: that "he" is actually a young girl who, as the sole survivor of a Crimson Fleet attack, was rescued from the burning wreckage of her ship by Lirith and Amella about a year ago. She was raped repeatedly at that time by the vile pirates, and her current male persona is partly due to her tomboyish nature and partly a coping mechanism. The party was pretty sure at the end of it that Tavey didn't poison the food, though.

Everyone slept very uneasily that night :)

In the morning, the little fleet set sail from Fort Blackwell...in the evening, the southern sky was lit up, as if by fire. In the morning, an Olman village was found in ashes, and a check of the shore revealed pirate bodies among the slain villagers. Other than that, the next few days were quiet enough. Izzy began researching a variant of zone of truth called truth tea in which anyone imbibing the enchanted tea would be compelled to tell the truth, with the intention of interrogating the crew about the poisoning.

Unfortunately, there was one more disruption. During the night a couple days out from Fort Blackwell, as a storm brewed overhead, Father Feres suddenly went into convulsions and collapsed in the hold. The screams brought the party into the hold, where to her horror Veerga saw something moving around beneath the good father's skin. Frantically scrabbling in her healer's kit for a scalpel, she cut him open to reveal the tail end of a segmented green worm as it crawled its way towards his brain - a Kyuss worm!

As horrified crew held Feres's thrashing body down, Veerga chased the worm up his belly, finally grabbing it near his clavicle and drawing it out of its body where it thrashed and squirmed in the air, covered in gore and trying to twist around to reach her exposed skin. Eroknar brought one of her lead-lined boxes and they threw it in to wait while Veerga patched up the (fortunately still - barely - alive) Father Feres up. Tavey, always eager to see his heroes in action, had to be told to leave the room...and Oscar Jask hastily removed his pregnant wife to safer quarters.

It was later determined thanks to a Knowledge (religion) check that the good Father must have somehow ingested a "slow worm" - a type of Kyuss worm that is inserted into food or drink and lies dormant in the body for days before activating. However, since Kyuss's downfall over a year ago, Kyuss worms of all sorts have become very rare, and no one knows how this one got into Father Feres's rations.

Tensions are running high...and as the storm worsens, the party and Lavinia decide to pull their ships into a conveniently nearby river mouth to ride it out.

Session 19: The first few weeks of the journey were relatively uneventful. Eroknar and D'razul decided to alleviate the monotony and train their shipmates by holding sparring matches on the deck, and it soon caught on with the crew. Izzy and Veerga, each able to cast create water, spend part of that same time filling barrels with clean, fresh water. (Tavey, who is fascinated by both the magic and the weapon play, alternates between watching the sparring and watching the magic users.

One night, Pembrooke Pete claimed (loudly) to have seen ghosts floating around the crows' nest...based on his description, they could have been dancing lights, as unlikely as that may be, but who would have cast it? More likely, they were simply a mundane electrical discharge (Saint Elmo's fire - I mean, Saint Geldar's fire).

Of course, they could also have actually been ghosts. D:

The smooth sailing could not last forever, of course. The party ran into a ship sailing from Lantan (the gnome island to the west - where most guns and cannons are manufactured) packed with refugees. It seems that some kind of magical disaster has struck the island...unfortunately, the refugees don't know many details, and the party sent them on their way after resupplying their ship. Lavinia wrote them a letter of introduction to Lady Anwyn Arabani, promising that she would help them when they got to Sasserine. (This way, Lady Arabani will also have advance warning that the price of Lantan-made guns is about to skyrocket...clever girl!)

Apparently, Lavinia's parents had placed an order for 2 masterwork cannons with the Lantan gnomes in preparation for the voyage, shortly before their murders. Lavinia worried that the disaster might make it difficult for her to pick the cannons up...

...a fear that was justified when they were stopped by a gnome blockade. The party and Lavinia went aboard the flagship Golden Carbuncle to parley with Commodore Jean Kiez. He regretfully informed Lavinia that Lantan was turning away incoming vessels "for your own safety" - and that, so sorry, Lantan could not fill her order at this time "due to unprecedented magical disruption of our industrial facilities."

Fortunately the negotiations quickly turned to the nature of the "disruption," and to the Commodore's surprise, the party was familiar with the symptoms. Flash of green light? Check. Sudden deformities and insanity? Check. Cannibal gnomes running rampant?

Definitely check. :)

They explained to the good Commodore that this disaster was caused by a weapon known as a shadow pearl and that a certain evil individual, one Vanthus Vanderboren, was to blame. In fact, the party even has the remains of another (already detonated) shadow pearl that had been targeted at Sasserine, but that had been detonated prematurely...and they would be happy to trade it to the gnomes in exchange for the cannons the Vanderborens had ordered months ago.

Naturally, hoping that the Lantan arcanists could make something of any lingering enchantment on the pearl, the Commodore changed his tune right away, and ordered two masterwork cannons loaded from the Golden Carbuncle onto the Sea Wyvern and the Blue Nixie. Veerga brought out the lead-lined trunk in which she'd stored the remains of the shadow pearl and handed it over to one of the Commodore's cannon golems, who mounted a guard over it as everyone said their farewells.

Several more days of sailing passed through a slow drizzle before the party reached Fort Blackwell and the sun came out just in time to set beautifully. Lavinia ordered a second feast as the ships anchored in the harbor near the fort...Churtle volunteered to help Edward with the cooking while most of the rest of the crew went on shore leave.

Appendix III: The Infamous Seven

While the Isle of Dread is populated by uncountable dangers, there are seven creatures in particular that figure heavily in Olman legendry. Rarely glimpsed, these are the "Infamous Seven" – monsters as much myth as fact. Yet oral accounts among the Olman are remarkably consistent with fragments I was able to piece together from conversations with Hatoi – make of that what you will. After my own harrowing experiences there, I hesitate to discount any of their stories, however wild they may seem. Here is a brief summary of the Seven, along with what little I know:

Baaragrauth – Perhaps a masher of legendary proportions, Baaragrauth is revered as a minor sea deity by some Olman. An unpredictable and violent serpent of colossal size, he reputedly dwells near to the Seven Villages in a hidden undersea grotto. Longboats that vanish out of sight of the shore are reputed to have been dragged down by Baaragrauth.

Cerattakatha – A nightmare of uncertain aspect, Cerattakatha may be the ultimate among the deadly insect life of the Isle of Dread, as he is constantly compared to the scorpions and great spiders of the jungle. Supposedly confined by the old gods upon Scorpion Isle off the west coast, he burrows beneath the surface in search of food to sate his unbearable hunger.

Emraag the Glutton – Emraag's existence, at least, is beyond question. He it was that destroyed the Dawn Seeker within sight of the Isle's shores as we departed for the northern seas – I saw it all. An enormous dragon turtle, he capsized it by rising beneath the hull and crushed the entire ship to kindling. We had no choice but to flee – it could have just as easily been us.

Temauhti-tecuani – The Emperor of Tyrant Kings, Temauhti-tecuani is reputed to be the greatest of tyrannosaurs on the Isle. There is some evidence that the name has been applied to several different tyrannosaurs – certainly Temauhti-tecuani figures in legends centuries old.

Xiureksor, the Viridian Suzerain – A true dragon, if the legends represent her accurately. According to Olman legend, she slumbers beneath Dragonhaunt Hollow, awakening once every five or six generations to feed and pillage the villages for tribute. Oral tradition holds that if a particularly brave Olman warrior confronts her in battle and survives long enough to gain her respect, she spares him and his village – provided he fathers a child on her. Her children supposedly roam the Isle near her lair, guarding her domain. Several powerful chieftains in the Olman's past supposedly were the half-breed children of Xiureksor and an Olman hero.

King Simasheti – The Olman revere Simasheti as a king of apes, claiming that he is the last of a breed of long-lived behemoths bred by the Huethoxis to protect Xic Chih. He is described as a white ape larger than any tyrannosaur, an ancient golden collar the symbol of his lost servitude. He has no fixed dwelling, but roams the island freely, unafraid of any of its other inhabitants.

He-Who-Hums – Perhaps the most mysterious of the Infamous Seven, even the most inventive storyteller will not claim to describe He-Who-Hums. "His flight is the sound of thunder," they say, "his voice the song of Death," yet though he has been heard, he has never been seen. Sometimes a strange, contralto humming echoes from the interior plateau of the Isle, or is heard after thunderclaps from the skies during a storm. I have heard tribesmen imitate this humming with hollowed trees through which they blow – an eerie, resonant vibration that sets the teeth on edge.

Appendix II: The Seven Villages

Each of the Seven Villages is constructed according to a common plan, with four buildings arranged at the points of a square dominate the layout: the "mens' lodge" and "womens' lodge," the shaman's hut, and the moon lodge. The mens' and womens' lodges are restricted to their respective genders; ceremonies for naming and death are held at these lodges, and births take place exclusively at the womens' lodge.

The shaman's hut is where the tribe's shaman and his acolytes dwell, and it is the center of the ancestor or zombie cult in the village: under certain circumstances, due to obligation or choice, a warrior may be reanimated as an "empty walker," or zombie. These zombies play an integral part in the Olman religious landscape, and are treated as members of the tribe. The shaman and certain honored members of the tribe are given retinues of these creatures, while others guard the village, perform manual labor, or guard the places of burial.

The moon lodge is shrouded in mystery. I have my suspicions, but know nothing for certain. Only some members of each village are permitted within, both men and women, and these are always warriors. They are always led by an elder who acts as a sort of counterpart to the shaman – some kind of religious leader. Apparently membership in the moon lodge is sought after by many, but granted only to a few.

There are seven villages on the peninsula southeast of the Great Wall. Though there are rumored to be others on the mainland, they are universally reviled as savages and cannibals and the Olman we know have cut off all contact with them. They are:

Burowao: The finest fishers and aquatic hunters among the Olman, the bold young warriors of the Burowao prove themselves by braving the terrors of Widow's Reef far from their cliff-top villages. They sail war canoes and glide atop the waves on polished boards shaped of koa, a type of wood found only on the Isle of Dread and sacred to the Burowao. Damaging koa groves is blasphemous and highly insulting to the Burowao. The shark is sacred to the Burowao as a totem animal.

Dawa: Nestled in their ancestral cove, the Dawa appear to have chosen a life of secrecy and concealment. While all Olman are stealthy, the Dawa specialize in it, maintaining control of their territory through guerilla tactics and shadow warfare. They are highly paranoid, but peaceful enough if they do not feel threatened. The crocodile is sacred to the Dawa.

Kirikuka: The Kirikuka revere bats primarily, but also other aerial creatures. During my brief stay in their village I saw dozens of statues and idols of couatls, pterosaurs, and great birds. They are on good terms with Farshore, and are friendly enough.

Mora: The Mora are stoic and generous, frequently offering shelter and asylum to even strangers (as I found out, several Farshore explorers had been saved from the jungle by young Mora warriors). They revere martial prowess, as their fighting traditions are central to their tribe's culture; they have developed a sophisticated form of unarmed combat called Kahiko that emphasizes soft holds and sudden strikes.

Their zombie masters are reputed to be the most powerful among the Seven Villages. They revere the sun bear as their totem.

Panitube: The Panitube welcomed us with open arms – they are interested in foreign trade and customs far more than their more traditional brethren. Our cultural influence has already undermined their own traditions to a degree I find unacceptable – but am powerless to do anything about. However, they are fair and shrewd traders, and it cannot be denied that Farshore has prospered from their trade. The Panitube hold the rat as their animal totem.

Tanaroa: The Tanaroans are ruled by matriarchs, in contrast to the other six villages. By far the fiercest warriors of the Olman, the Tanaroans have been valuable allies. This martial prowess is by necessity – closest of all the villages to the Great Wall, the Tanaroans play an important role in protecting the peninsula from the rare invader from the main body of the Isle of Dread. The tiger is sacred to them.

An Eighth?: The rumored Eighth Olman Village may or may not exist. Certainly there are abandoned settlements scattered across the peninsula, remnants from the time before the Seven Villages stabilized, yet none of them is inhabited. Yet rumors among the tribes are persistent in their stories of another, hidden village pursuing a policy of complete isolation surpassing that of even the Dawa. I have no way of knowing if it is true or merely a tale.

Appendix I: Excerpt from The Olman Mythos (Oral Tradition)

In the beginning the People came from the west, seeking conquest at the bidding of Many-Winged Qotal. But Zaltec came invisible among the fleet – the Eater of Hearts brewed a storm and many of the People drowned and were lost.

Yet Zaltec was hasty and his evil was vain, for the Huethoxis [Note: these are the "lost gods" of Olman legend – see Appendix IX. L.V.], called by Qotal, came to us sailing on the wings of the storm itself and lifted us from the shark-churned waters. The Huethoxis were not as we, nor their gods our gods, yet their eyes were wise and their hearts kind. In their great vessels, many-masted and silver-winged, they brought us to Xic Chih [Note: this is the name by which the Olman refer to the Isle before the catastrophe. L.V.] and welcomed us as their own lost children.

Long we lived in their great spiraling cities – yet in time we hungered to live as men, and not as Huethoxis. She-ah the Great King of Xic Chih spoke, and his servants raised land for us from the sea. His sorcerers chanted, and the land became fertile. There we built cities of our own kind, steep ziggurats and avenues of stone. There we dwelt beneath the Huethoxis in peace for three turnings of the Great Wheel.

Yet when She-ah raised the land, he angered the Lords of the Deep. From the depths came the legions and hordes of Ap!xilc, numberless as the waves of the sea. From Kolic-morc below they swarmed like locusts, driven to kill and devour. We cast Hishna and Pluma against the depths and She-ah brought forth the might of Xic Chih and the tide was slowed, yet not stemmed. So Tlaloc's Tear we made, and drove all life from Kolic-morc and the kings of Ap!xilc – yet our victory was hollow.

Into the lifeless corpse of Kolic-morc the slaves of the Savage One stole in secret, building and working their vile spells among the dreaming Ap!xilc. In time the Shadow came, and from it came the Tide of Madness. In one night, Xic Chih was emptied of reason. Huethoxis and Olman butchered one another, and the Savage One was pleased to watch.

Now the Huethoxis are gone and only we remain, to remember the shadow of yesterday. None go to their cities, for it is forbidden. None dare the mainland – only here, on the peninsula where the Great Wall stands, are we safe. Those of the Olman beyond the wall are devils in man shape, and cannot be trusted.

Yet one day, just as we came from the sea, it is said that the lost gods will return one day and Xic Chih will rise again, renewed ten times greater.

[Note: "!" is meant to be vocalized as an alveolar release. L.V.]

Another interlude!

After the ship set sail, Lavinia shared something special with the party...her mother's journals, which the enterprising noblewoman had spent the last month or so translating in between negotiating with the Dawn Council and fighting off bullywugs.

NOTE: the main entries in the journal may seem familiar to some of you (I adapted them from Dragon 351, with some important changes). However, some of the appendices (more of which will be forthcoming) are entirely new. So enjoy!

Selected Excerpts From The Journal of Larissa Vanderboren
A Travelogue of the Isle of Dread
Translated from the Sylvan by Lavinia Vanderboren

Today I leave the safety of the colony for the village of Tanaroa. We've been here for several months on the Isle of Temuté, overseeing Farshore's development and attempting to build relations with the natives – Olman, they call themselves. While these proceedings are important for our family's – and, indeed, all of Sasserine's – designs on these far-flung shores, I find them rather tiresome. Thus I've convinced Verik of the value in exploring and documenting the mainland – the Isle of Dread itself! While obviously concerned for my safety, he has sense enough to recognize that I can take care of myself.

Within the Fangs of Zotzilaha – 21 Flamerule 1365
I have returned from a journey with the Tanaroans to the volcano Nextepeua, one of the twin volcanoes known as the Fangs of Zotzilaha. The Tanaroans make annual pilgrimages to offer appeasements to the bat-god Camazotz. I had agreed to the trip to display our good intentions to our Olman neighbors, hoping to further Verik's goal of establishing good relations. I admit, I was uncertain about the shaman leading the pilgrimage – he is apparently the master of the Tanaroans' zombie cult – but he seemed genial enough, and was almost as eager to learn about Eldath and the other gods as I am to learn about the mysterious gods of the Olman. The journey to the fangs was interesting, with dozens of the shaman's zombies shuffling mutely along beneath packs, mingling with the living.

The Fangs are an imposing site, rising up to dizzying heights and dwarfing the scenery around them. From their heights billow pillars of black, acrid smoke visible for many miles by day, polluting the air with ash and debris. Muffled rumbles growl from deep beneath the peaks, suggesting the incredible activity of the world's bowels. The fields surrounding the Fangs steam with slag and knee-deep ash, while the grounds closer to the peaks are riddled with lava tubes. Some evidence of flowing magma colliding with underground water exists, as poisonous gas belches from deep vents and fissures. It's no wonder the Olman fear this place – they live under constant threat of an explosive eruption.

The Tanaroans explained that we must wait until nightfall, when the volcanoes' sacred baboon guardians retreat to their caves. The baboons – omnivorous, and dangerously ravenous – live out a pitiful existence, surviving off sparse vegetation and huddling together around the few pools of stagnant rainwater.

When twilight fell, hordes of great bats swept out from the lava tubes and fissures, blacking out the smoke-clouded sky. I was startled by the creatures' physical size, some with wingspans of up to 15 feet. In spite of their mass, they exhibited surprising maneuverability, both in the air and on the ground. The sight of so many of them, a colony of several thousand strong, instilled a primal fear within me. Although they drove the baboons hooting back to their caves, the bats ignored us completely, enabling us to approach unchallenged – an event that, to the Tanaroans, was a sign Camazotz himself had granted safe passage.

Once inside Nextepua, the shaman, began repeating a rhythmic chant he maintained as long as we were within – the effect was similar to endure elements, enabling us to withstand the heat emanating from the walls and the occasional blasts of scorching air. The searing volcanic fumes made breathing difficult, even with the cloth masks we used, and the rumbles that had seemed muffled outside were deafening this close to the volcanic core. The smoke and heat waves made navigation nearly impossible – I would surely have been lost within these hellish depths forever had not the Tamaroans been so familiar with the way, seemingly capable of making the trek without the need for sight.

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at the Shrine of Camazotz. We hurriedly placed our offerings before a soot-covered idol carved in the shape of a great bat, wings outspread. I offered a pair of charms Lavinia and Vanthus gifted me as children, for the Tanaroans believe that Camazotz accepts only offerings near to your heart.

I felt...something in the cave before we left, as though I was being watched from the shadows. I had no desire to investigate however, especially in the company of the Tanaroans.

Apparently the shaman was most pleased with my gift – when we returned to Tanaroa, he offered me the services of two zombies from his retinue, apparently a great honor. I had no choice but to accept. What is Verik going to say when I get back with these?

Ecology of the Phanaton – 9 Elesias 1365
While wondering the central jungle, stubbornly classifying the island's endless varieties of flora, I caught sight of a diminutive primate. Carrying a spear, it had a satchel slung across its shoulders and appeared to be rummaging for mushrooms in the spongy ground. It hadn't noticed me so I approached for a closer look.

Little more than 2 feet tall, the creature looked like a raccoon, with dark fur around its eyes and ringed stripes on its prehensile tail, but displayed a thin membrane of skin stretched between its front and back legs (later I would observe that, like the hadozee, it used the membranes for gliding – in its case, between trees).

Its eyes suddenly met mine, and for a brief moment I thought the creature looked inquisitive, but then it started shrieking in a shrill, warbling cry. Almost instantly, more of the creatures came rushing through the bushes and dropping from the trees – too many to count. Before I could act, a primitive net woven from vines ensnared me, and the creatures began pummeling me with their clubs and the butt-ends of their spears until I lost consciousness.

I awoke with my hands tied behind my back, lying on a wooden platform supported by the boughs of an ancient deklo tree. I could sense that I was high up in the jungle canopy, and I noticed my provisions and research notes dumped out next to me. As I looked around, I could see more platforms in the surrounding trees, connected by treacherous-looking bridges made of knotted vines and strewn with simple wooden huts. These creatures had built an entire village among the trees. Scores of the small creatures watched from nearby platforms, through tiny hut windows, and from the foliage of branches above, spying on me curiously as I came to my senses.

As I composed myself, one of the tiny creatures – this one wearing unique, brightly-feathered adornments – made his way through the crowd and unbound my hands. He shocked me by speaking almost perfect Druidic – distinguishable phrases interspersed with soft hoots and odd clicks of the tongue. Once he was sure I understood him, he apologized for the inconvenience and explained that I had surprised a group of his people while they gathered roots and medicinal herbs from the forest floor below. He had looked through my journal – he had been able to read the Sylvan words – discovered that I am a kindred druid, and was very apologetic for the misunderstanding. What a stroke of fortune this is! Though our traditions are different, we are unquestionably children of the same mother – even the language is almost unchanged after who knows how many centuries of isolation! He invited me to a feast and the following grooming session that evening as a token of good will.

I stayed with the creatures – who I came to know as phanatons – for three days thereafter, learning of their society and culture. When I left, the one that I had first spied offered to join me as a guide – a sort of peace offering. His name is Hatoi. At first, he was shy, but with time I began to connect with him. He (like the rest of the phanatons) speaks a distorted dialect of Sylvan, and we understand each other well enough. He is fond of my sketches, particularly of the island's plant life, and will no doubt prove invaluable in classifying the jungle flora.

The Effects of Loco Weed – 16 Elesias 1365
For the past several days, I've been observing a herd of ankylosaurs that graze near an inland lake in the northwestern reaches of the isle. Within this group, one male in particular has been very curious behavior, of hostile and unsocial bearing. I've come to blame this comportment on his consumption of a toxic and narcotic weed that grows in patches along the lake's eastern banks.

Several minutes after eating the weed, the ankylosaur begins taking short, shallow breaths, and seems a bit unsteady on his feet. Once the drug fully takes hold, he exhibits increased blood flow – evidenced by his overall pinkish hue – and begins to drool. Other effects of the plant are rapid eye movement, loss of balance, occasional vomiting, and highly aggressive behavior.

The amount of weed consumed has a proportional effect on the ankylosaur's belligerence. On a normal day, he eats only a small quantity – enough to become easily agitated. The rest of the herd has learned to avoid him during these episodes, as he swings his massive tail at anything that approaches. Even when docile and not under the influence of the plant, the herd and other local herbivores give him plenty of space, not wishing to incur his wrath. A bruised shin is apparently enough to make even the largest diplodocus wary of him.

Larger meals of the plant have a more powerful effect on the giant dinosaur, causing him to become extremely aggressive and attack anything he sees. His depth perception seems altered at this level, as yesterday I observed him charging into the jungle only to run headlong into a tree trunk. He became so enraged that he smashed down nearly thirty trees before disappearing into the jungle.

After about 2 hours, the drug begins to wear off. The specimen exhibits lack of hunger, lethargy, and impotent irritability – he usually collapses wherever he finds himself after the plant's effects have run their course. Once he is fast asleep, the herd resumes its daily grazing.

When I asked the Panitube about the weed, they smiled and laughed to themselves as if privy to some private joke. I overheard one of them calling it "cualoco zacatl," which roughly translates to "angry grass." The natives who speak the trade tongue just call it "loco weed."

Territorial Behavior of Terror Birds – 19 Eleint 1365
Concerning the flock of terror birds that I have been studying near the Isle's eastern peninsula, today I witnessed a pack of males force a dimetrodon away from its kill. The creature had wandered into the high grasses of the flock's territory and brought down a giant scorpion, an easy catch for the giant dinosaur. This was soon to change, though, for terror bird scavengers can be very persistent when it comes to robbing meals.

The tall birds slowly encircled the predator, assessing the situation. At first, the dimetrodon seemed indifferent to their presence, continuing to eat while only occasionally snapping at birds that got too close. As the flightless avians gained confidence, they began flaunting – rising up to their full height and fluffing their colorful head plumes. They strutted back and forth, low resonating grunts emanating from deep within their chests. When their displays failed to intimidate the feeding predator, some of them began turning their hindquarters toward it and kicking dirt into its face. This immediately garnered with dimetrodon's full attention.

Unwilling to give up its kill, the dimetrodon flushed the sail on its back, bared its teeth, and began bellowing at its attackers. This show of force came too late, though, as the birds had worked themselves into a frenzy. The flanking terror birds nipped at its tail, hitting and running, much to their target's frustration. While doing little harm, it made the dimetrodon spin around to snap at them. Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, the other birds rushed in for quick strikes, butting and biting quickly with their powerful beaks. At one point, the dimetrodon actually staggered to keep its balance. Finally having had enough, the dinosaur abandoned its meal and fled. The birds gave pursuit, screeching as they harried it from their territory. Once the predator was gone, they dragged the predator back to the waiting chicks and females of their flock.

In other parts of Toril, these flightless birds are apex predators, but here they are clearly bottom-feeding scavengers. If it were not for their strength of numbers, they would certainly be at an insuperable disadvantage and might have long ago disappeared from the island. They have adapted quite well to their situation and exhibit a remarkable ability to drive off most predators that threaten their nesting grounds.

Tyrannosaurus Rex! – 1 Marpenoth 1365
In gathering data for my documentation of the island's food chains, Hatoi and I witnessed a tyrannosaur consume a lesser theropod in the northeatern grasslands. The prey was too small to sate the giant beast's hunger, and once it caught our scent and spotted us, it charged – frighteningly fast for a creature of such size. With simian agility, Hatoi scrambled up a nearby weir tree. Terrified, and against all instinct, I held my ground, knowing that fleeing would certainly be my last act.

I attempted to speak to it to try to calm the massive beast, but it ignored me, slowing its advance only slightly. My heart pounding, I redoubled my efforts and the rex came to a reluctant halt. I have heard tales of other druids who consort with these beasts, but it seemed a dangerous proposition. Verik would no doubt scold me if he knew I had even attempted it.

The titan lowered its head to sniff me with one great nostril, its scimitar-sized teeth scant inches away. Fascinated, I reached out a trembling hand to touch it, and just then, Hatoi leapt from his tree and landed squarely atop the tyrannosaurus's skull. I yelled for him to stop, but it was too late. The tyrannosaur raised its mighty head and let out a deafening roar. It began thrashing and spinning its body to shake off the small nuisance, snapping its great jaws in anticipation of the morsel. As Hatoi raised his spear, I cried out to prevent what was to occur, but too late. He plunged his spear deep into one of the tyrannosaur's eyes, blinding the giant and sending it into an uncontrollable rage. Between roars, it swung its tail wildly while clawing impotently at its face, unable to remove the tiny spear.

The last I saw of the rex, it was bullying its way into the jungle to the west, splintering the innocent trees as it ran. The sound of its flight turned abruptly to the sounds of intense struggle: the trees began shaking violently and a shocked reptilian roar reverberated through the jungle. Reappearing from the undergrowth, Hatoi began frantically waving his hands as though warding off some perceived evil. When the tyrannosaur suddenly became quiet, choked off in mid-roar, and the tops of the trees slowly stopped waving, the wide-eyed phanaton started making loud, agitated ticking sounds. He wanted very desperately to leave the area, pulling my hand to lead me away from the mysterious and disturbing sounds – a slow, somehow brutal tearing and crunching, the sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing unmistakable in the new silence.

Not questioning my native guide's obvious urgency, I quickly followed him back to the village. Later when I asked, Hatoi refused to speak of his actions, becoming frightened and emotional – an attitude I've found echoed by all those in the village. For the first time I've realized that the phanatons are keeping certain truths pertaining to the Isle secret from me.

Ecology of the Masher – 14 Marpenoth 1365
My interactions with the natives are beginning to bear fruit, as they have begun trading with Farshore, eager to exchange pearls harvested from oysters that live around the coral reefs of the island. Following rumors of huge pearls, we've bartered for two canoes with the fisherman of Burowao, as well as guides to lead an expedition of our people to a reef where they claim giant oysters make their homes. I went along with the explorers to investigate the reports of such giant mollusks and to learn more about the island's aquatic inhabitants.

We anchored at a reef off the northeastern shores of the island. Our guides spoke of monstrous, territorial eels that feed on the coral there – a trait that has since earned them the name "mashers." With the help of the fishermen, we devised a strategy for harvesting the pearls. Approaching the reef in outriggers, we maneuvered into shallow water less than 2 feet deep at the top of the reef and disembarked. Walking on the reef proved difficult – a misstep would have spelled a broken ankle for one of us. Our mission was to attract the attention of the mashers by dislodging chunks of the reef with long poles, hoping to provoke a feeding frenzy, giving our divers the necessary distraction to gather the pearl-bearing oysters.

Within moments of breaking off the first coral chunks the mashers responded. Several sets of the eels' wicked black spines broke from the water, serpentine in their movements as they approached. Some looked to be in excess of 30 feet long, making them more than a match for many of the predators inhabiting these foggy waters. As the monstrous eels gained speed, I realized their intention and yelled for my companions to retreat. The mashers' skulls bear thick growths of bone, with which they began relentlessly ramming the reef, sending jarring shockwaves through it, knocking us from our feet. A great chasm opened in the coral we stood on, and the solid surface beneath us was suddenly gone, sunk into the lower underwater mazes, leaving us treading water that was now deep enough for the mashers to navigate. Two of the men who chose to swim to the canoe are no longer with us. One moment they were there and the next they were simply gone, nothing marking their presence other than a cloud of turbulent bubbles and blood.

One of the Burowao tribesmen pulled me from the water. Half-blinded by the salt spray I may have been, but I know what I saw in the instants before he changed back. The other Olman pretended to have noticed nothing, and the Farshore colonists (and Verik) were too distracted – I will say nothing, but that was no druid's wildshape.

As we emerged onto the remaining reef, I noticed that one of my savior's arms was hanging limp at his side, quickly turning black – he had brushed against one of the poisonous spines on the mashers' backs. Cursing myself for lacking the vital spell, I tried to treat the poison but was unsuccessful – the black discoloration quickly spread to the rest of his body, coursing across his skin. He began shivering and babbling incoherently with dementia, finally going into shock as fits of vomiting and convulsions took over. When his eyes bulged, I knew it was too late, for inflammation of the brain is fatal. The poison had killed him within moments.

We had suffered three fatalities and our divers had managed to bring up only four normal-sized pearls from the depths. Appalled, Verik has decided that further risk outweighs any value of the still-rumored giant pearls and has forbidden any further diving expeditions to the mashers' reef. One of the pearls went to the bereaved of the Burowao deceased families – two to the family of the man who saved my life.

In the margin beside this entry is a tiny side-note: A week afterward, I found myself summoned to the Burowao zombie master's hut. I don't know what I expected, but certainly not this! The family of the dead man requested that his service be given to me – according to the beliefs of the Olman, a warrior has two lives to give in the service of another: since he gave his life to save mine, the man must serve me again until he is released by a second death in my service. The blank stare of the zombie disturbs me deeply, as I recall the quick intelligence and hidden nature of the man...but the Burowao would no doubt be deeply offended if I were to have refused. Eldath preserve me! Only Olman shamans have retinues of these "honored ancestors." And yet I am a druid – in some sense, I am a sister to these people. At least they meant well by it all. Verik will be furious when he finds out. For now, he can join the other two in the basement...but I must make a habit of bringing them with me when I speak to the Olman – I have a feeling that it's expected of me.

Physiology of the Greenvise – 28 Marpenoth 1365
Today I came upon a clearing where it seemed a herd of dinosaurs had recently stampeded. The footprints were massive and the devastation to the area immense – likely caused by a herd of diplodocuses or other large herbivores. There were no signs of an attacker's footprints, leading me to believe that the panic's source had come from the sky.

As I was studying the ruined landscape, I discovered a large plant, a greenvise once nearly 15 feet tall, fatally trampled into the ground. Its still huge, traplike mouths twitched violently – seemingly hungry even in death – and spasms ran down the length of its main stalk, causing the plant's tendrils to flutter and make a sound like a tree in high wind.

About halfway down the stalk that served as the greenvise's throat a pulsing bulge appeared to be the source of the plant's post-death contractions. Whatever was inside the carnivorous weed was still alive, struggling to escape. When I sliced open the stalk to try to free whatever was trapped within, I encountered some resistance – the greenvise's thick stem proved tougher to carve than a ripe melon. Viscous froth spewed from the incision and oozed its way to the ground, reminding me of the saliva of a fleshy creature – except that this reeked of sap.

Lining the inside of the stalk ran rows of dense thorns protruding down towards the plant's gut, arrayed in such a fashion as to prevent captured captured prey from escaping back up into the maw. I could see a sizable frog peering up at me through the thorns, desperately trying to push past the barbs to reach the opening I had created. I spoke to it in an attempt to calm it, but the traumatized thing was fully intent on escape. The frog must have kicked one of the rooty organs that once guided the greenvise's locomotion, for one of the plant's tendrils convulsed, knocking me off my feet and pinning me to the ground.

Struggling to free myself, I heard the flap of powerful wings and stilled myself at the sight of a pair of wyverns scouring the carnage. These creatures were likely the culprits behind the stampede, returning to pick over the devastation. Instinctively, I shifted myself into a small snake and slowly slithered away from the remains of the man-eating bush, seeking a hiding place where I could wait for the predators to depart. Behind me, I heard the dragonkin tearing into the greenvise, not discriminating between frog and plant. At least the poor creature did not suffer long.

Araneas – 13 Uktar 1365
I cannot put to words the sense of grief and guilt that consumes me. By now, Hatoi is surely dead, the victim of an unspeakable fate I unwittingly wove for him. If only I had heeded his warnings, he would still be here with me as I write this. For the thousandth time, I asked why I ignored him, foolishly venturing into that darkened hollow. It was a shadowed place, a valley in the eastern jungle where I had noticed even the thunder lizards feared to tread. There, my curiosity cost my friend dearly.

As we entered the vale, made eternally dark by the dense jungle canopy, I immediately felt something was watching us. At first, I shrugged it off as nerves, but it became increasingly difficult to keep Hatoi calm. When he suddenly stopped and started hissing, staring intensely into the darkness, I halted in deference to his keener senses. It was then that I became aware that we had been walking beneath a floating maze of spider webs strung through the trees above. What haze had been over my mind that I had not noticed this until now? Disgusting corpse husks dangled from the rope-thick strands like macabre Midwinter ornaments. Yet, even more terrifyingly, something had purposefully positioned the carcases, forming rotting shelters as sickening as they were crude.

All of the hairs on my body stood on end when I caught a glimpse of movement. Praying for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, I could barely see them: horrifying spiders descending from their webs, seemingly shifting to other, stranger shapes when I looked away from them. It was as if they were hovering in mid-air, gesturing with their front appendages – disgustingly elongated arms with multi-knuckled hands. Although I had never seen one, I took these creatures for aranea – spiderlike bogeymen storeyed to carry ill-mannered children off to their evil forest kingdom.

I didn't have the opportunity to look closer or attempt to speak to the creatures as the surrounding jungle suddenly came alive with indistinct, sinister shadows and the sounds of slinking things. Despite the activity, I could sense nothing other than Hatoi, the spider things, and myself. Even now, I don't know if there was something actually there, or if those images and noises were mere figments meant to drive us to some deadlier trap.

Regardless, an overwhelming need to flee consumed me, and my mind blanked. I remember Hatoi, chittering with terror as one of the creatures, its arms and face momentarily seeming to be those of an ancient phanaton – knelt to embrace him. I heard him calling out to me as it gently looped him with its silk, and through my own screams I thought I heard a chittering arachnid laughter that will forever torture my nightmares.

Conclusion – 19 Nightal 1365
Some time has passed since I left Farshore, and – in light of the recent tragedy – this is likely to be my last entry. When we return to Sasserine, I shall deposit the bulk of this work into the family vault for safekeeping until such a time as I can organize my notes and publish a full dissertation of the island's ecosystem. Whatever final form my observations take, though, I plan to dedicate this work to those souls who lost their lives in that unforgiving land. I hope their sacrifices might serve as a warning of the savage nature and primal ferocity that epitomizes the aptly-named Isle of Dread.

In the blank space after the conclusion ends, you see another note: The tragedy referred to is likely the destruction of the Dawn Seeker, which was wrecked shortly after leaving the Isle of Dread on my parents' last return voyage from Farshore. L.V.

ROFLMAO. I love that you got your group singing. Brilliant. Rum involved?

Thanks! And, of course! Rum is always involved :P

Session 18: The second full session spent preparing to set sail.

The party spent a good deal of time roleplaying with the crew, getting to know their various idiosyncrasies and quirks, and helping them get comfortable on the ship. One unforeseen complication arose when Urol Furol and Churtle ran into each other for the first time - apparently, as likeable as Churtle is, she still isn't overfond of gnomes. Urol, normally so amiable (and chatty!), hates kobolds. Racial enmity can be such a drag...but not in the face of stellar Diplomacy from Veerga. As Churtle's employer and latest savior, she had no problem making it clear that no gnome-murdering pranks would be tolerated...while as a druid and scholar, her natural affinity for Urol gave her an edge in convincing him that Churtle would be a valuable (and safe!) member of the crew. The fact that she is almost the only member of the crew willing to listen to his endless rambles on the subject of the natural world and archaeology in general and the Isle of Dread in specific didn't hurt, either.

Speaking of Urol, Veerga also spent some time scrutinizing his map of Tamoachan with Lavinia, who has herself recently acquired a lot of familiarity with maps, especially of the coastline on their route. The two ladies determined that it's at least not an obvious forgery. The idea that the many-times-explored ruins of Tamoachan could have previously-unexplored chambers, however, is somewhat unlikely - although Urol explains that the area around Tamoachan has recently experienced some seismic activity, and this may have opened up a previously-sealed portion of the ruins.

After spending one or two last days enjoying Sasserine - Veerga in particular got to do something she had always wanted, spending an enjoyable afternoon shopping with Lavinia and trying on human clothing - the party finally set sail for the Isle of Dread on a bright, clear morning. (Thanks to the party's "Diplomacy" - read "Intimidate," this time - and Veerga's Animal Empathy check to get Thunderstrike up the gangplank, Avner didn't even delay them that much.)

A few of the "miscellaneous" crew got a little seasick. Izzy went around dispensing an alchemical brew to the afflicted, clearing that right up...except for Avner, who s/he felt would be more productive vomiting over the back of the ship than interacting with the crew. (He didn't exactly get on anyone's good side that first day.)

The day ended with a celebratory feast organized by Lavinia and held in the evening aboard the Blue Nixie. Everyone got involved singing a bawdy sea shanty divided between the women (italicized verses) and the men (bolded verses) of the crew. (Everyone got a printout of the song and, since there are two men and two women in our group, we all had a blast. Especially since they couldn't really read ahead while singing :)

I knew a maid across the waves, so innocent and pure -
And she was sweet and so petite, but somewhat too demure.
I loved her well, but what the hell, so long she made me wait,
That soon enough I found myself outside the whorehouse gate!

I knew a man who lived on land and feared to sail the sea -
His skin was pale, his breath was stale, his verses flowery.
I tried him once when I was drunk and wish that I had passed,
For worst of all he flew his flag upon a dinghy's mast!

I took a wife once in me life, a woman like a queen -
Her skin was fair, her flamin' hair set off her eyes so green.
But pirate women make poor captain's brides, you must agree,
For when our honeymoon was done she led the mutiny!

I knew a man who left the land to brave the Trackless Sea -
His ship sank and the sharks took every inch below his knees.
I tried him twice he was so nice, nor did he have to beg,
For best of all, I tell you all, he had THREE wooden legs!

Yohohohoho!

A second interlude!

May I introduce the crew of the Sea Wyvern, the intrepid colonists she carries to the Isle of Dread, and anyone else aboard the ship. These are people that the PCs will interact with on a daily basis, in some cases forming close relationships. In fact, they owe their lives to at least one of the people on this list...turnabout is fair play!

The Vanderstorms - this is the name the party had decided on at the time they set sail. No comment :)

_Eroknar
_Veerga
_D'razul
_Izzy

As ship owners, they are the boss of everyone on the ship, answering only to Lavinia. They also provide security (being adventurers) and are backup crew for the ship - all of them have quite good Profession (sailor) modifiers.

The Crew - a diverse crew made up of humans, hadozee, and one, ah, tiefling.

_[CAPTAIN] Amella Venkalie - slight, blonde, and scarred, Amella has been hired to captain the Sea Wyvern by Lavinia. She seems confident, haughty, and experienced, but reluctant to form attachments.
_[1st MATE] Madee Wyvernscream - Cheelor's mate and a seasoned fighter, Madee is even older than he, and carries a brace of Lantan pistols thrust through her bandolier at all times. She is taciturn around non-hadozee, preferring to let Cheelor interact with them, though she has no qualms working with them on the ship. A bass, and also percussion.
_[2nd MATE] Lirith Veldirose - a red-haired, flamboyantly-dressed tomboy, Lirith is the most noticeable of the Sea Wyvern's new crew. She has sailed with Captain Venkalie before, and appears quite comfortable on the sea. A talented, if somewhat unrefined, alto.
_[NAVIGATOR] Skald - a shifty-looking, stoop-shouldered man (and a tiefling, as it happens), Skald's nasal voice and high-pitched laugh set your teeth on edge, as does his nervous habit of constantly looking over his shoulder. Nevertheless, he has a reputation as a skilled navigator, tracker, and explorer. A fantastic mandolineer.
_[CABIN BOY] Tavey Nesk - A young and excitable lad, Tavey is the Sea Wyvern's cabin boy, a good-looking boy who appears to be under Lirith's and Amella's joint protection. This looks to be his first long sea voyage, and he's looking forward to seeing some real adventure. Quite the contra-tenor.
_Cheelor Wyvernscream - Formerly Cheelor Stormrage, this strapping orange-furred hadozee sailor is the head of the family that signed up for the voyage. He's quite old, and missing three fingers on his right hand, lost fighting Rundeen pirates during the scouring of Sasserine decades ago. Dual-wields bandoneón accordions (he has four "hands," after all), a feat made all the more impressive by his missing fingers.
_Habeego Wyvernscream - one of Cheelor's and Madee's daughters, Habeego is a skilled flyer as hadozee go, and as fierce as her mother. She is powerfully built and fond of drink, carrying a flask of ale strapped to her hip. Another bass/percussionist.
_Cheeskak Wyvernscream - Habeego's sister, she is smaller and quieter, with large eyes and a long tail. She is the family's lookout, and spends a lot of her time in the crow's nest when she isn't working elsewhere on the ship.
_Edward Wyvernscream - Cheelor's half-brother, Edward is the sole survivor of the ill-fated Eking Kite, lost to sahuagin attack in the Sea of Fallen Stars seven years ago. He took his name from a human sailor with whom he had a close friendship, torn to pieces by sharks during the attacks. Also the ship's cook, he is a miracle-worker with salt meat.
_Pembrooke Pete - An old, experienced hand, Pete is a well-known fixture from the docks of Sasserine, a native of the city who has lived his entire life on the sea lanes that connect Sasserine to the rest of the world. Most recently, he was the mate of a whaling vessel just retired due to age and a general lack of seaworthiness. He also appears to be a superstitious rumormonger. Pete can’t sing, but sometimes thinks he can when he’s drunk.
_Crench the Mute - A late addition to the crew, Crench is a burly, almost freakishly muscular half-orc sailor. His larynx was ruined in a Crimson Fleet attack, and he's illiterate. He communicates mostly by gestures, and occasionally by violence.
_Isis Wyvernscream - Another late addition, Isis is a hadozee pyrophile with silky black fur. When it's repaired, she'll be in charge of the firedrake. She's the only Wyvernscream not related by blood to the others.

The Colonists - they've been underestimated more than once. The most important thing to remember about these people is that they are planning to settle on the Isle of Dread. They know what they signed up for, and they have the badass to back it up.

_Penelope Jask - A colonist along with her husband Oscar, Penelope is a kind-faced woman whose pregnancy is just beginning to show. Despite her condition she and Oscar are determined to make a life for themselves and their unborn child in Farshore. She is a smith, and among their cargo is a full forge waiting to be assembled in Farshore. (Note - hmm...human, just entering the 2nd trimester of her pregnancy, signing up for a six-month voyage...)
_Oscar Jask - A broad-shouldered man with dark skin, Oscar is Penelope's husband and a skilled carpenter. He hopes to make a good life for his wife and child there.
_Nerlur Hapsbarren - Nerlur and his family owned a ropewalk in Sasserine that was burned down when the Lotus Dragon warehouses went. He is eager to leave that bitterness behind him and has decided to move them to rebuild in Farshore.
_Brie Hapsbarren - Nerlur's wife, she oversaw the ropewalking process herself, leaving the financial and market aspects to her husband. An imposing woman with a ready laugh, worry lines around her eyes hint at the difficult times the family has suffered.
_Waldam Hapsbarren - The right side of his face scarred during the fire that claimed the family property, Waldam was injured saving his sister Alea from the blaze. Nevertheless, he is a cheerful young man, his ready smile twisted by the scars.
_Alea Hapsbarren - A beautiful girl just entering womanhood, Alea is fit and athletic, delighting in feats of acrobatics on tightropes. She enjoys clambering about the rigging, and is looking forward to a new life even more than her father.
_Durgan Stonethroat - His velvety baritone belying his name, Durgan is trying to make a new life for himself. He seems reluctant to talk about himself or his past, but the dwarf is a skilled architect and worker of stone. Lavinia hopes that with his help, Farshore will be able to construct a small quarry to mine local stone, and possibly mine gems for trade. As I said, a baritone.
_Belkor Steelthew - Another dwarf, Belkor is silent where Durgan is talkative. His heavily scarred skin is a peculiar grayish hue, and though his limbs are thin he can move heavy cargo with apparent ease. He signed on with Durgan, and the two are rarely apart.

Miscellaneous - this category is for everyone else.

_Father Feres - A priest of Tyr anxious to spread the faith beyond Sasserine's walls, Father Feres is a small man with an easy smile and nervous, edgy demeanor.
_Avner Meravanchi - A slanderer, deflowerer of maidens, and utter cad. Despite recovering a good portion of her stolen wealth, Lavinia needed additional financial support to launch the expedition. Lady Anwyn Arabani donated a large sum of gold, but Lord Zebula Meravanchi's support was also critical. He has sent Avner along to “oversee the support of his investment.” (i.e. “get the hell out of Sasserine before you embarrass me further.”)
_Thunderstrike - Avner's stallion, a magnificent white warhorse. Veerga more or less convinced the other PCs to allow him on board...she is a druid, after all.
_Barnaby Chisk - One of Avner's body servants. A paunchy man with watery brown eyes.
_Quenge Asper - The other of Avner's body servants. A tall, thin man with brown skin. He doesn't speak much. Apparently a skilled closet tenor.
_Urol Furol - A bent old gnome smelling of earth and plants, Urol is a scholar and expert on natural lore. He has been to the Isle of Dread once before, although his stay was cut short “due to events beyond his control.” He volunteered himself for the journey, offering his skills as a healer and naturalist to the colony of Farshore. Currently expecting a short side trek to the ruins of Tamoachan.
_Churtle - Churtle!

That's a total of 30 people, not counting Thunderstrike or Penelope's pregnancy. As you can see, the party has one hell of a band hidden amongst their crew. :)

An interlude! This one is on hadozee culture, since it plays a big part in this campaign, and since I didn't talk about it much in the original post. It's also important to understand the next post, so...

If you don't own Stormwrack: hadozee, besides being large anthropomorphic monkeys with glidey wing-flaps, are inveterate and expert sailors. They have no homeland per se, in fact spending more time on ships than land. Since they are so attached to their ships, their social structure tends to be clannish, with family relationships as dependent on shared sailing experience as blood ties. Hadozee do not often take surnames, instead taking a "ship name" based off of the name of the ship they sail on. An example of this will be provided in the next post :)