My table's PCs are on the frontier and upon hitting tenth level will be receiving a reward from the home base. Part of this is designed to even out the lack of shopping options on the frontier. The party is human Champion of Milani, human Swashbuckler, human Cloistered Cleric, and iruxi Eldritch Archer Ranger.
This is my first 2e campaign, so I would love suggestions for what a tenth level iruxi eldritch archer ranger and a cloistered cleric would need at this level.
The ranger basically shoots once a round for strong damage, with their key items being +1 striking composite short bow, +1 shadow hide armor, and some aeon stones in a custom wayfinder.
The cloistered cleric does a lot of healing and buffing, with a few perennial damage spells like Electric Arc and Spiritual Weapon, with 1-2 higher level damage spells. The cleric's key items are a staff of healing, a wand of healing level 1, some aeon stones and a custom wayfinder, and a bunch of scrolls, elixirs, and potions.
Can the PCs using a spyglass see area B from the watchtower? After all, there's the remains of a 100' statue and several intact buildings at the Temple Grounds and the Cathedral of Amaznen.
Do you have any recommendations for Starfinder scenarios, modules, or adventure path books where the PCs explore ruins featuring chemical spills or radiation? I'm looking to be inspired by the "silent killer" and body-horror of such locations.
At my table, Rexus' parents attacked him when they were zombies, then several levels later Rexus died in an encounter with a Nessian Hell Hound. So my table did not resurrect them, not least because they didn't have access to a 13th level cleric capable of casting that. Also, at least one player, the noble scion, was working to reduce the power of the aristocracy. They liked Rexus, but even the "good" aristocracy was more like a frenemy.
Quick design question: why did you have Helekhterie have Color Spray as a 4th level spell? Was it because she has it on her 1e spell list as a first level spell?
First, a 500-mile radius is pretty big. Center one in Columbus Ohio and you also take out NYC, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago, Toronto, and everything in between.
As for other effects, let's brainstorm...
Spoiler:
Many of the planar effects on the fertile soil would make the area unusable as farmland for quite a long time, leading to starvation on those cities that depend on that area for food.
Air: Think "dust bowl" for what this kind of sustained wind effect would have for quite some time in farming. Also, an enormous dust storm might have regional and global effects on air quality and the creation of a possible literal dark age, with environmental advantages for monsters affected by the sun or with darkvision.
Earth: probably going to lead to some Darklands powers investigating the destruction of their rival communities underneath the anvil drop. Possibly causes a literal gold rush as nations rush to control a potential new source or ore and precious minerals.
Fire: Dark Age? Regional public health effects from air pollution? Depending on the area and the nature of the strike, the fire could spread quite far
Water: Washes away top soil. Flooding, landslides, changing sea levels and more in a much farther area very quickly.
ALL: Nations are either going to unite against the common foe for survival or close borders and the rich/powerful retreat to extra-planar hideaways. In the former case, divination magic may give humanoids a LOT of information about the lore and backstory and events of this AP and give them actionable information to attack those responsible and the aeons-old threat of the AP.
I'm no geologist or with much knowledge of the environment, but I'm seeing that mostly I'm guessing at starvation, dark age, and changes to the resources in the region as being additional effects beyond simply death and devastation in the 500-mile radius.
My party got totally shelled by the new Brinetooth last night: three PCs (level 2) were down and dying, including one at dying 3. They were saved when the last standing PC hit and then hit again with a crit with the second attack. The PC had maybe 1 hit left in them before a TPK. It was amazing--she had two of the mook grindylows with her, but they were down in round one.
embedded in the interactive maps, so even if the tags and grid are off, there they are for the PCs to see. Did anyone come up with solutions other than simply drawing it out, which is a pain to do on Roll20 for natural caves?
Oh, no worries about that. Before character creation, I gave pretty full information about how this adventure would work, with the explicit example about crafting replacement ammo. The player chose to make a ranger that focused on archery. There's also backup characters if he ends up regretting that choice.
OP here with some clarifications that have been requested.
The arrowheads in the AP I'm running that's been converted to 2e did not have a value for the 40 arrowheads the PCs find in the AP volume or the conversion document.
The frontier community that they are operating out of
Spoiler:
Talmandor's Bounty from Ruins of Azlant
does not have a fletcher among the NPCs; they do have a smithy and will have a smith shortly.
At this point in the adventure path, they do not have access to any other community for trade or purchasing items.
How long does it take to craft arrows? This is for a game set on the frontier, so I want to go by rules as written, and not hand wave it. The PC has the craft skill.
Also, how would already having the arrow heads speed it up?
My table's party captured one of the monkey goblins, but were unable to communicate with them. After holding them captive for a bit, they decided to let them go, wait a few minutes, then follow them back to their tribe. They hope to see if the goblins were behind the fate of the colony, maybe see if they have captives. The problem, of course, is that this party of 1st level adventurers is really not up for roughly two dozen goblins with a barghest chief (Arghelnar, page 79).
That's awesome! I'll read that when you post it next week. My players are still in the first set piece of the first book, so I have time to set this vibe of strange wild beauty.
Is there any way you can foreshadow events in book two or major NPCs in the hierarchy? Some skill challenges to infer what the major NPCs are researching or tracking a certain cult in Old Kintargo?
It would probably be useful to have the players come to an agreement about how they want to deal with new indigenous peoples they might find, general approaches, when violence could be appropriate, and whether to have options for nonlethal combat. I can easily see that being a flashpoint to table dysfunction.
Did anyone have any good dialogue or talking points for Barzillai Thrune
when they ran their final fight with him? I'm going to run mine this weekend and I'm interested in adding a bit of flavor.
Listening to Find The Path's podcast of this AP has definitely made me more likely to run it. I'd hope I'm not alone in that. And having to draw your own maps rather than import pretty maps to Roll20 would definitely be an impediment to that.
Good point on setting impact, especially since I'm considering running Ruins of Azlant as a sequel to Hell's Rebels, if the players are interested.
If Zon Kuthon becomes the alien being or Dou-Bral, what would be the effect on the ecosystem of Nidal? I assume the eternal gloom was due to Zon Kuthon? Their entire ecosystem over the past 8,000 years has adapted to not having full sunlight.
Would Asmodeus be interested in trying to recruit the ZK's clerics and inquisitors if he were out of the picture? Would they go for it?
Shadow plane complication
At my table, Nidal activated their escape protocol (closed the borders, then emptied its cities mysteriously and slowly over time; Hell's Vengeance 5, page 65) a little early when the players goaded the navy of Cheliax into
Spoiler:
violating the Kintargo Contract,
then won the naval battle. The players' best guess is that the people of Nidal were forcibly evacuated to the shadow plane by the Umbral Court.
So, what happens to Zon Kuthon directly influences how interested neighboring nations are interested in a land rush in Nidal. As I imagine that these nations would be ... reluctant to try to take over with a normal Zon Kuthon watching from the shadow plane. So that option keeps things the most the same at my table.
If Dou-Bral is added as an additional consciousness to Zon Kuthon, the changes to the god, Nidal, its people, and its powerful leaders would likely play out slowly and inconsistently over time. But it would be interesting and possibly have profound effects.
If Dou-Bral's true resurrected and Zon Kuthon is now solely a powerful alien being (totally not code for Cthulhu mythos!)... the Nidalese trapped in the shadow plane with it are probably all going to die. I doubt the alien would care at all about the Umbral Court, the prayers of ZK's clerics, or its people. And the shadow plane without the protection of its lord is... hostile territory.
Dou-Bral replacing Zon Kuthon when the Nidalese are in the shadow plane would have some very interesting effects. Certainly, the minority of covert Shelynite worshippers would be very pleased but also in a lot of danger. The faithful of Zon Kuthon and the Umbral Court would likely have a lot of their powers change though.
There's some good stuff for me to work with here--thanks. It's good to know my table's not the only one with players thinking like this. Thinking about this further...
Interference from Pharasman and ZK agents are a go.
It's a twist on Barzillai's use of it, no question. The regular use of this particular item is to enable you to retain your memories and consciousness after death, while Barzillai used his resources to
Spoiler:
become a genius loci with his memories and consciousness after death
.
So, perhaps "Reviving" Dou-Bral in this way could entail one or more of the following:
* forcing Dou-Bral's memories into the body known as Zon-Kuthon "created anew" by the "powerful alien being" causing who knows what changes in Zon-Kuthon; end result Zon Kuthon, but changed
* true resurrection of Dou-Bral, with Zon-Kuthon unaffected;
* true resurrection of Dou-Bral, with Zon-Kuthon now inhabited solely by that "powerful alien being";
* Dou-Bral's consciousness replaces the consciousness of Zon Kuthon
What things would you throw in to make this dramatic?
What extra elements would you throw into the ritual besides having the DNA and the miracle scroll?
What would be the result of using
Spoiler:
the soul anchor
to "revive" Doubral?
Background
Basically, the player wants to use it to "revive" Doubral; it's a cult he's established since book 2, which I've been calling Zon Kuthon Reform and he's been calling Doubralism. (He'll have the DNA of Doubral due to a 20-year quest of plot and a scroll of miracle.) He's going to be doing this on the ethereal plane and wants to finish before the party destroys
Spoiler:
the soul anchor.
He's fine with them destroying it afterwards.
Note:
book 6:
Our table cut Part 4: Abandon All Hope and fused Part Two: The Haunting of Kintargo and Continuing the campaign: Barzillai's Return combined with Azrana's appearance (p. 66-69). This is the very last arc.
What was the last physical contest/game you viewed?
How would you describe your own personality?
How do you feel when you are interrupted by another in a task?
When did you not act, when you wish you had upon reflection now?
Background questions:
Can you tell me about your childhood--what was it like growing up?
Tell me about your relationship with your mother? What was (is) she like as a person, and what was she like as a parent?
Could you tell me about your relationship with your father? What was (is) he like as a person, and what was he like as a parent?
What were your friendships like when you were a kid, and what are they like now?
Can you tell me about your romantic relationships--what have they been like?
Can you tell me about your relationship with your religious leader?
Do you ever get overwhelmed by your feelings? Are there times when you try to shut off your feelings entirely, or when you just feel numb?
Have you ever had trouble with alcohol or drugs?
Do you ever feel like you don’t know who you are, or like the different sides of you don’t fit together?
Do you ever feel like you’re outside your body, or that you’re somehow separate from the things around you, like you’re looking at them through a pane of glass?
I’ve asked you a lot of questions. How has this been? Is there anything we haven’t covered that’s really important in understanding you as a person?
Listening to Raiders of the Lost Continent podcast for their roleplay with the tribes of nonhumans they find and thinking about the actual history of colonization of "empty" continents, I tend to side with Zimmerwald1915 on this one.
BUT I'll set that aside for actual interview questions for the purposes of this thread. For these purposes, the questions could be designed to weed out or select for graverobbers and religious extremists, as you prefer.
Easy/generic:
What do you like about the expedition you are applying for?
What skills do you have to contribute? Why should we select you rather than someone else?
What groups of people do you enjoy working with the most?
What preparation do you feel is required to succeed for the expedition applying for?
What challenges do you anticipate entering an unknown area lost to history?
Stress test questions:
What do you dislike about yourself?
How do you handle stress?
Why are you leaving all that you know? Do you have other options?
OR: Why do you want to leave our great nation?
How many copper pieces would be as tall as myself?
Do you have any regrets?
What is your greatest achievement? Why wasn't that enough for you?
How would you deal with a conflict with a fellow colonist?
When is violence justified?
Give me an example of when you showed you were a leader and when you showed you could follow one.
Quizzes!
There should also be skill challenges: quizzes for the knowledge skills, obstacle courses for the physical ones, and close observation of how they interact with the others in their cohort for the social skills.
I'm watching the series with my spouse. She's not read the books. I read the books until I quit after one too many split-party cross-country trips, hail pulls, and characters carrying the distrust ball. (Maybe around Fires of Heaven or Lord of Chaos? I remember Seanchan.)
BUT!
It's been really pleasant watching this series. It's been so long since I read the books covered thus far that I have the pleasures of both recognition and surprise. (And it helps that there's significant canon changes already.) I have the fun of watching with someone else who's getting into the series. Morraine and Lan have been the core of the fun thus far for us. And the medium shift to television has, to my mind, improved the work by requiring more showing than telling, allowing a few scenes of distrust to make the point, and cutting improves the pacing when you have a split party on different cross-country trips.
Nidal: their borders should have been closed anyway, and any major dealings are made with the Umbral Court, not easy with closed borders and and heretical cult.
True enough. It ended up not being a feature at my table, as my party was uninterested in venturing into Nidal, and quite nervous about them throughout. The fact that Nidal doubled their forces on the Southern border in book 1 made it more logical that they would send a diplomatic delegation to Ravounel to ensure peace or, better yet, a mutual defense pact.
Souls At War wrote:
Alignments: depend if they talked before or after their actions, and good rolls should not help with alignment shifts, the rolls help with normal people, nor reality itself or the gods.
The goal of the AP is to change the world. NPCs' alignments changing is a feature not a bug. As for the PCs, which were in the NG/CG range except for the monk, their alignments weren't going to change because of this. The Monk made sure that they had reported what they were doing to the lawful authority in charge of defense policy, the Mayor, who was true Neutral. During the questioning, however, the player was definitely playing his alignment straight, trying to navigate a lot of moral quandaries. And that's the important thing, really.
Souls At War wrote:
for the rest, they might still have to deal with a certain Thrune, not sure if they will be welcomed in Hell.
We're not doing the sojourn in Hell part, but they will have one last fight with that Thrune. The AP will end where it started, in Kintargo.
Yep. I simply cut anything covered by ABP, leaving behind quite a few masterwork weapons, armor, etc. I also converted some of the superior NPCs to ABP, which cut down the amount of loot further. I did a lot of adding to this AP, however, so that might have increased the treasure too much.
Souls At War wrote:
As for the rest...
* HV mention that Nidal close its borders early on in the conflict, so interactions with them should be minimal, aside for Nidaleses out of the country.
One of the PCs was a refugee from that country who developed a heretical cult of Doubralism (a.k.a. Zon Kuthon Reform), so the Shadowsquare cathedral and Aluceda Zhol were major points at our table. When the party formed Ravounel, the Nidalese sent negotiators for peace, mutual defense, and recognition. (Basically, given how my table went, I adapted the book six Cheliax negotiations to Nidal.) After my table defeated the Armada and House Thrune began to lose the civil war, Nidal enacted its escape protocols: closed borders under all circumstances and start going wherever it is they go.
Souls At War wrote:
* you kinda dodged the question of the PCs' alignments and actions that could alter them.
See post dated 4/7. Most of the easiest to convince on the town council were in the Chaotic good/neutral alignments, while most of the harder ones were a flavor of Lawful or straight Neutral.
Souls At War wrote:
* surprised they didn't learn of the yearly ritual to maintain the contract with Hell, which could have been an easier and less dangerous way to break it.
They did... too late to stop it immediately. (I periodically had them get rumors from the Motherland as a way of keeping a timeline in HV.) They had the option to go there and try to destroy the place to prevent Thrune from doing the sacrifice next year or ever again. But then they used divination by a warpriest of Irori, whose minions are clearly going to prefer the Archive of Redacted History mission. (If they'd used divination to a different god's minions, they might have gotten a different answer.) And the Archives is similarly crucial militarily--it's key to the doomsday weapon that would otherwise destroy the Glorious Reclamation army besieging that Hellknight citadel and protecting Westcrown.
Souls At War wrote:
* So, they messed with Vyre, shouldn't Norgorber have a reason to impede them? (you know, consequences of the PCs' action)
I did a whole thing on that: kidnapping the Queen of Delights, followed by a prison invasion, followed by a planar dungeon crawl with the Secret Shade. See this thread for details. Any more than that and I felt that the story would have diverged too far from its central plotline. I did nod in that direction with some plot narration. One PC directed the Milanites of Kintargo to free Vyre from the chains of crime, corruption, and addition sponsored by the Norgorberites. And they're a curiously stubborn problem for the Vigilante PC's networks for two decades. They'll always be there as a source of narrative villainy if I do a sequel.
Plus, the artwork for the cultists of Norgorber in this AP made it such that they were not taken very seriously by my players. The artwork looks like they're clown barbers. (It looks like they did Norgober better in the other APs though.)
Automatic Bonus Progression rules, rebellion mechanic, obviously naval combat rules from the Shackles AP.
House rules: one official Paizo plot card per level (use contingent on fitting the card content, combat uses mostly a re-roll or stabilizing, non-combat uses include success on plot-adjacent stuff or advances the party to the plot).
I probably made a bad call on extending the significant character bonus more liberally to the named NPCs.
Changes to background/canon/setting... none at start. I did occasionally reference the Hell's Vengeance iconics as the party in the other AP to set up their book 5/6 appearance. But I play with the idea that the players should be able to have their actions change the world if they're going to commit to this story for several years.
By all means, critique away for those other tables considering going down this path.
Thanks! That's a lot of effort you went through there. I'll see what I can use. What do you think the kaiju subtype would do? Would it be equivalent?
He'll have 16 levels of inquisitor, so I don't really need to add on a lot of templates. (The inquisitor levels are already there because he's a known returning antagonist. If I lowered them, players would ask why he can't cast __ like last time.)
There's several maps of book 6 will give you trouble as well. There's a few maps that basically don't have the same size squares or the edges of the map cut squares off. My solution on Roll 20 was to simply turn off the grid and have players pick up their characters and move them. Worked well enough.
If I added the kaiju sub-type to a bone devil with enough inquisitor class levels to make it CR 20 already, how much would you change the CR? (Note: this would include a size change to colossal.)
I just noticed that the Temple has a permanent Invisibility Purge effect, which is very helpful. Although with their existing Stealth and Dimension Door-ing ability I still think it's possible that they'll be able to do a fairly surgical strike against the Mayor and bypass lots of the encounters on the way.
The forbiddance effect on the Thrune suite (a separate entry for areas 39, 40, 41) really wrecked my table. They couldn't dispel it. And Thrune ruthlessly used each room as a retreat area to force them to take damage, forcing them to engaged in a ranged fight for a while, which is tough for them.
So, your infiltration specialists could end up with several nasty surprises if they try to corner Barzillai... if he's even there as they take the damage.
If you look elsewhere on the boards, there's stuff on thwarting the scry and fry tactics with the Temple. I used some of it, but I forget what right now. They were able to do some divination, but getting Thrune directly was fairly well-thwarted.
And remember--in book four, minor mook clerics are 7th level and have access to Divination. At my table, the party's clerics were engaged in a war of Divination once they reasoned that their Divinations would change once the other side did a Divination on the same topic and instituted counter-measures.
If you want to ease your preparation burden as a DM, mandate that the party decide at the end of each session what mission they'll be taking on next time. There's too much going on to "theater of the mind" complex battles with lots of combatants and you can just tell them that they need to give you prep time.
As far as imposing your sequence on them, you can definitely influence them by using the military situation on the ground: "we're facing high casualties in this district", "we can't support our people across the river until we take the bridge", "DRAGON!!!", etc.
You can also use the Council of Silver at the outset to impose some order on the sandbox.
Finally, I cut the Natsiel subplot as well in favor of running set pieces I made up like "take Castle Kintargo" and a "Defend Old Kintargo".
Book 4 is out and out war. After the first such incident, there should be passwords and counter signs for any kind of military or dottari unit to accept new orders. Their opposition has access to divination, are mostly all high wisdom, and are LE. They have backup plans and lots of information.
And, yes, some of these encounters are going to be battles where the PCs walk all over the other side. The lich, the Records Hall, the dragon, and the Temple will emphatically not be those kind of battles.
And true seeing is why my party still loathes erinyes.
It was about 1-2 years through books 1-5 in game, but that includes moving the negotiations up into book five. Then I did a 20-year jump before starting book six. That book looks to take about 1-2 weeks in game.
Out of game, I think it's closing in on six years, with weekly sessions of about 3-4 hours.
