spikadelia's page

I worked with the characters to create some compelling back-stories that wove in the campaign traits and the reasons they were in Kenabres. On the morning before the ceremony started each one of them got a minor gift for Armasse from an NPC character in their personal story.

I ran with the text from the AP and also borrowed and edited in text from a few campaign journals that I've read (and thanks to any authors I plagiarised) but had a carefully structured pattern to how I revealed things.

1. I played a theme tune for the campaign (Main theme from Diablo III soundtrack) and read out an opening paragraph about the horrors of Sarkoris.

2. Then under some quieter atmospheric music I gave them all the backstories (around 1 page of A4) for them to read. That got them all thinking about their characters and past.

3. I read out a section about Armasse and what it means for the city of Kenabres.

4. The players turned over their sheet and read what they had done that morning, see section below. Then they had all made their way to the plaza and had climbed the steps of a statue for a better view of proceedings. That finally set the stage for the big reveal.

The Cleric of Iomadae who was a Mendevian wastrel until his sister was killed. He was at the Cathedral and being invested as an initiate, he also intervened in a dispute between some of the fanatical witch-hunting 'Burner's and other of the faithful. He was given a silver rosary of the Acts of Iomadae. Our Kyoninian Menhir Savant druid studying leylines and ancient Sarkorian traditions was in Truestone Park with Crocis who tends the garden. Crocis gave him a remnant of Sarkoris, a mammoth ivory tusk scroll tube engraved with symbols of the Green Faith.

The Pathfinder Society catfolk bard is part of a small team infiltrating noble society in the city and she got a sheaf of Angel Quill arrowheads from her superior. We have a Dwarven healing focused Witch who is in the city as part of the war effort supporting the Holy Legion of Torag, she got a home-brew pair of Minor Healer's Gloves (+2 competence bonus). Finally the Hellknight (Order of the Godclaw) completed some trials of combat and was accepted as an Armiger and given a steel and ebony inlaid breastplate by a commander of the order.

5. Then I hit them some more dramatic music and ran sound effects of an earthquake and an ear deafening ringing and read them the shocking piece about where they were in the vast caven.

6. The final piece was the slow piecing together of their memories of the events in the Plaza as written.

All my players sat there in shock and were immediately immersed into the seriousness of their situation.

As a DM setting the stage with some written text that gave the players the time to create their own mental pictures really helped build the sense of the opening section of the AP. The horrors of the Worldwound, the morning of Armasse, and then the shock of the attack of the Wardstone and the destruction of Kenabres really created an impact.

Here's a link to the script I used with the sample text for the cleric in the campaign. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9ZyjcaqPRoEVzRhZzVqS0pnRkE/edit?usp=shari ng

I also kept aftershocks and waves of demonic energy from the attack running for the next three hours and all of the vermin in the AP seemed to be infected with it. That's got the players really worried.

I hope some of this proves useful.

My guess is that they would have been based in Nerosyan since the place of worship was large enough to be called a Cathedral. As to what happened....

In Council of Thieves pt 4 the relevant chapter says:

4665, Kuthona: The Order of the God Claw abandons the Leaden Cathedral in Mendev at the start of the Third Mendevian Crusade. Returning to Cheliax, the Order of the Pyre sponsors the small but wealthy order. Construction of Citadel Dinyar begins soon after.

I'm running WotR and decided that a small enclave of Hellknights (mainly an uneasy alliance of Order of the Godclaw and Order of the Gate) remained in the region and chose to base themselves in Kenabres at the Galenic Chapel. With the events that take place at the beginning of the AP they retreat to Nerosyan.

Great work, I have a mix of players in my group but having this extra ammo is always useful.

This guide by Peterrco will also help you out a great deal, it covers all of the possible druidic options but it gives a really detailed insight into the mechanics of wild shaping.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1AN4TGgYstgR_6RuVZBtUmU5AYixdEmdMiI U-bdecClo.

I'm playing in the Skulls and Shackles AP and went for a Spinosaurus companion, the major advantage being it's ability to join me in aquatic environments (although it will need some assistance with water-breathing). I added in a point of intelligence to take it 3 and might train it with a few combat manoeuvres so it has a little more flexibility in combat. One thing I didn't realise the size that the Spinosauus can get to, although of course I won't get to level to the point where it's gargantuan but I can see he might be doing some squeezing soon enough.

My character is a small human (Pacific Islander/tribal-styled) character and my DM has allowed me to be able to ride the companion at 7th level which adds in a lot of flavour.

For summoning spells I put together a list of all the dinosaurs, and then all the reptilian types (snakes, lizards, turtles and pterosaurs) my druid can call upon but to be honest the low level summons are very weak and nothing comes close to the eagle or the wolf. I've summoned animals dependant on the terrain but for a default small elementals are versatile.

The Huge options you get to wildshape into at 6th level are: Parasaurolophus, Saltwater Crocodile, Ankylosaurus, Iguanodon, Allosaurus, Elasmosaurus, Giant Sea Snake, Gorgosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops. For me the Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Giant Sea Snake and the Quetzalcoatlus are the strongest. The Allosaurus gives you pounce and rake and nasty attacks, and the last two are specific to give me movement options... climbing the deck of a rival pirate ship in snake form or dive-bombing with a 40ft wingspan are very entertaining options.

He is an Oracle of Life. I have opted not to allow him to do it since it's not a purely mental action and needs his full physical being tuned into his psyche to channel the energy... without a holy symbol.

They are in STAP facing three mummies with coldfire wrappings (my take on the Dark Way section under the mountain).

I'll let you know if they survive.

The party are screwed.

Three of them are paralyzed, the Oracle is one of them. He's desperately trying to plead that using his channel energy is supernatural and as such does not need any somatic actions and can be invoked even though he is unable to move.

I think not. I'm a tough DM and believe he has to be able to move to Channel energy.

Instant straw poll?

Thanks in advance.

Can he do it paralyzed??

The party are screwed.

Three of them are paralyzed, the Oracle is one of them. He's desperately trying to plead that using his channel energy is supernatural and as such does not need any somatic actions and can be invoked even though he is unable to move.

I think not. I'm a tough DM and believe he has to be able to move to Channel energy.

Instant straw poll?

Thanks in advance.

I wrote up a page and a half handout for my players detailing the Dream from Harliss Javell at the beginning of Serpents of Scuttlecove.

If anyone has any interest in this for their own group, I can email a link to the file in rtf format.

Hired Sword,

I'm heading back to running the Savage Tide after a break of 18 months. This sounds like a fantastic addition to campaign flavour.

Please send it to the following:

Hi All,

Quick straw poll fellow pathfinders.

My friendly DM and I are chatting about the Crits & Fumbles cards. He gives us the option of using or not using them when we confirm a critical but we have to suffer the effects in a fumble situation.

We have just agreed that when you roll a 1 you then make another attack at your highest BaB and if you miss again then reach for the cards.

I had an issue that previously the confirmation roll was made using the bonus of the attack you were using when you fumbled. I felt that given the number of rolls I was making (as a 16th level oft-hasted paladin) in the fights that my chances of a horrific accident were worsened by this method.

So Yea to the proposition: Highest BaB to avoid Fumbles?

Or Nay: Use the bonus you were attacking with and suffer the consequences!

On the other hand you can only pity the Ice devil that met my Paladin wielding a Holy Outsider Bane Elven Curve Blade. Three critical rolls and every attack landed, swiftly cut down to size in one surprise round.

Hi All,

Just been going through the archives and getting a little confused about how special damage bonuses stack.

My Paladin has an enchanted elven curve blade that is holy and bane vs evil outsiders.
Her feats include Power Attack and she has a divine bond with the weapon.
She meets a demon and selects it as the target of her smite attack.

She sets the weapon bond to axiomatic.

First up do both the +2 weapon attack bonuses from Bane and Axiomatic stack?
Then do all the extra 2d6 damages stack - from Holy, Bane and Axiomatic?

I'm aware that if she rolls a confirmed critical only the "Flat Bonuses' - Power Attack, Smite, weapon basic damage are multiplied.

Thanks in advance!

S

Hi All,

I'm at the gaming table so hence the quickfire question.

Does Improved invisibility allow a rogue to attack and apply sneak damage to a full round of attacks every round for the duration of the spell?

My thinking is that the first attack every round will have the sneak bonus but that the subsequent attacks should have a reduced chance of landing as sneak attacks.

Thanks in advance.

A body is pretty close to the density of water. Water weighs about 60 lbs per cubic foot. A human male in PF is roughly 6 ft, 200 lbs. Increasing height to 10 ft is a 170% increase. Volume increase is cubed, so about 4.6 x the linear scale change. The human was about 3.3 cubic feet at 200 lbs; the ogre is about 15 cubic feet if proportional to a human. Adjust to taste.

Howie23. That gives me an idea I think I shall reduce said ogre in a giant skillet for a few hours with a few shallots, this may not improve the appearance but it should lessen the water content and improve the flavour.

Do you have a 40th level sorcerer/wizard handy ;) ?

Here's one I shrank earlier.... er. Hmmm I see the problem with weight so it may just be the the head I take (shrunken or not depending on how the balance of proof in the replies go).

A quick one for you all re shrink item.

So DM off the cuff says no to using this spell on bodies which I think is harsh. It's for transporting an ogre corpse as proof of a bounty kill.

I cannot find any specific posts answering this although one or two on related subjects seem to allow this use of the spell.

Your thoughts?

Aloha Humble Minion.

If you could send me your marvellous STAT block handiwork it would be greatly appreciated.

spike.m@bigfoot.com

Hi Carborundum,

My gang are just about to clear up the Bullywug's and raise Lavinia from the dead.... a tragic player error detailed elsewhere on the messageboards!

Your conversion of C1 would be a fantastic addition to the epic journey of the Sea Wyvern.

Email: spike.m@bigfoot.com

TIA

Thanks for your thoughts. The player in question is by turns infuriating and occasionally inspirational. In a previous game a few years back our party was charged with wiping out a pack of dinosaurs. Once again our player (playing a rogue) disappeared while we were all up country and at that exact moment striking our camp. Cut to rogue running hasted at breakneck speed down the gully towards us with the immortal line "I found theeeeeeem" and the entire pack in hot pursuit.

At least post the "wake" of the Sea Wyvern the shoreline dino encounter is planned!

I'm going to use Lady Silvermane of the Church of the Whirling Fury to counsel Bathsheba. After all the character wants to become a Champion of Gwnharwyf and has taken the feat which allows them to control their rage (name escapes me and I'm in Sweden on holiday so no books to hand). I'll lead the player to reveal the circumstances of Lavinia's death and the quiet words of advice that follow should provide a plausible and timely touch of guidance.

I'm having a blast running the adventure path and one of the great things is the messageboards here - full of ideas, support and cracking stories.

Skol!

Bullywug's Gambit denouement....

The PC's went for the frontal assault hostage rescue approach.

I think their gaming confidence ran away with the objective of rescuing Lavinia. They handled all the delaying encounters during Wormfall very efficiently and trounced the Stiltwalkers, so they made lots of noise, cast a minor image of giant burning letters warning Lavinia for her safety hovering in the square above the heads of the bewildered Sasserine citizenry and just barreled in through the front door.

Then they all started to split up running around the Al-Deboran (I re-named the family for a more exotic feel) manor house. Of course the inhabitants went to alarm status.

After polishing off the hunters in the atrium only Bathsheba the barbarian/fighter ran to the top floor on her own and barged into the hostage bedroom. Without a word of dialogue offered, except a hissed message ("top floor now!" - which Drevoraz heard) the barbarian was confronted alone with a lot of opponents. With the way the initiative broke just as Lavinia made her break towards the door the barbarian retreated and tried to jam the door closed. the Bullywugs made to attack and Drevoraz got two clean blows in on the desperate, scrabbling Lavina.

Of course after two rounds the rest of the party came to help out and they beat down the Bullywugs quickly, although there was a great staircase fight with Drevoraz leaping down between the floors to avoid the PC's before finally getting his just reward.

I don't want to pull punches for anyone PC or NPC. The group were horribly split up and I think the barbarian's player (who has a history of solo recklessness) has just learnt a painful lesson.

Anyway I'm relying on their sense of profound guilt at failing Lavinia meaning they will sell off some of the magic items they find to get her raised. Lavinia will just take to wearing scarves to hide the scars since Drevoraz gave her a glittering necklace she will never forget!

Character: Uruj 2nd level Spirit Shaman
Adventure: There is no Honor

So the PC's hit the Taxidermist's Hall, Nemien Roblach managed to pull off an escape and disappeared. The party came back a day later to find the Hall shuttered and locked down with a couple of Lotus Dragons keeping a close eye on Dead Dog Alley. By this point the Dragons and the PC's had been trading blows and were both well aware of each other.

They had a couple of rogues deliberately placed to lure the party into the Ring of Ruin by jumping into the well. The only member of the group who jumped in after the rogues was the shoal halfling spirit shaman. The first volleys of bolts was bad enough, but the crocodile released into the water made quick work of such a tasty, lightly salted appetiser. The halflings now not much more than a spreading pool of blood. Bless.

RIP

KREET Hadozee Barbarian 1st level
ISPAHAN Aquatic Half-Elf Cleric of Deep Sashelas 1st level

First blood to the Hungry Dead.

We've kicked off the STAP and the party got suckered into Vanthus' trap perfectly. I worked out where the Ravenous Zombies would be distributed and even added in some loose timbers blocking the eastern doors and passages to flag up the threat. I figured they were put there by Penkus during his retreat.

The barbarian charged in to the first combat hand to hand, and quickly found out how dangerous the zombies could be when they got a bite 'locked on'. The cleric forced them back with turn undeads, they then encountered another group of zombies who they also turned and pushing them back kept advancing to the furthest eastern flooded chamber right outside the room where I had Veldimmar positioned.

The turns couldn't last, they were far too deep into the chambers and outnumbered. Isfahan at the head of the party invoked the name of Deep Sashelas once more, but his God did not hear his cry (he rolled a 1), and the tide of undead swept forward. Everyone else fled leaving the Hadozee raging and falling under a blizzard of frenzied bite attacks. They ran in terror and boarded up the doors again with the awful sounds of tearing flesh and a raving undead hunger finally sated.

Now the cleric's sister has to lead the party to rescue the bodies and exact revenge and they have all found out just how deady the trail of the Savage Tide can be.

Just returned to gaming and donned my dusty DM's hat for STAP.
This would be a very handy tool.

My email is savagetide@googlemail.com
TIA.

Hi Mando,

Well I've been slowly accumulating information for my attempt to run STAP.... our campaign group are just about to complete AoW after 18 months.

I would be mighty grateful to receive the fruits of your labour. Hats off to you for your diligence, and from the amount of posts in this thread, greatly appreciated efforts by the gaming community.

Thanks in advance; spike.m@bigfoot.com

Okay Peruhain here's the composition and a bit of back-story to the group. We are playing with a party of six characters, our D.M has bumped the CR of most of the encounters to compensate.

The party composition is as follows:

Lenix 8th lvl NE Drow Cleric of Lloth
Gordak 8th lvl LE Drow Wizard (specialising in demonology)
Blackthorn 8th lvl NE Drow Druid (dire bat animal companion)
Belao Kaern 8th lvl CE Drow Sorcereress (2nd lvl shadowcrafter)
Raven 7th lvl CN Tiefling Rogue
Y’shiru Sess 10th lvl LE Human Fighter

So far two PC's have fallen by the wayside, the first was a half drow lycanthrope who fled the party. We sacrificed a party member, a drow assassin who failed in an attempt to steal a magic item from another character. This was our curtain raiser act at the Champions Belt: we all emerged into the arena, staked out our drugged former comrade, then diemboweled him and released a box containing tiny carnivorous spiders into his flayed guts. The "Banquet of Lloth" brought the house down. That kind of punishment keeps party discipline intact.

We managed to avoid the arena rules about not killing opponents who have surrendered. In the first combat we'd subtly cast "suggestion" earlier on a barbarian and got him to finish off the elf leader who'd dropped his weapon in front of us, he was so suprised hehe. We subsequently killed the barbarian of course. We enjoyed that... a lot.

We subsequently aquired a tiefling rogue in the free city, be interesting to see how long he lasts? The human fighter is a fomer child slave, who survived and grew up in the Menzoberran. He eventually proved his worth to House Duskryn and was trained in Z'ress Athalak (force of arms fighting style), he aquired the lowest rank of the warrior caste and worships Selvetarm. He has a fanatical dedication to protecting the cleric of the group and has unquestioning obedience.

The cleric and wizard are husband and wife, he is completely under her thumb. Belao the sorceress has seduced the druid into letting her ride his dire bat most of the time in combat which is mighty useful. We avoid being seen publicly as much as possible, always using disguise and alter self where we have to go among the "surface filth".

Would you mind telling me why an evil group should go through the all the modules of the adventure path and for what reason?

If I would have evil plans in mind I would seek to align myself with the various factions (Ebon Triad, Raknian, whoever) and would try to get the best out of the alliance. Maybe and after total world domination one or two kingdoms would then fall to my hands...

Read my opening paragraph maybe? Lloth speaks, we listen.

Also the rewards in terms of treasure and items make our involvement worthwhile. We care naught for the notion of 'heroic good-deed doing' in the adventure path but we will tackle any enemy that stands in our way, and that includes taking down the forces behind the Age of Worms.

Anyone out there playing the AoW as an evil group?

We're playing the campaign as a group of drow who became drawn into the plot after the descration of a shrine to Lloth by the Ebon Triad. Our Ilharessen (priestess) leader is under strict instructions to root out and foil the machinations of anything that would disturb the balance of power of the existing evil gods. Coupled with a view that the unleashing of an undead plague on the world would be as destructive and unwelcome to the drow as to any living creature, it gives us sufficient raison d'etre to be involved.

Of course playing as drow has created some ‘interesting’ interactions with the local communities. As fate would have it we were looking for an isolated place to stay in Diamond Lake and chose Dourstone's home. We weren’t welcome guests but after our house call we left their bodies on display and the house open and the hidden shrine to the Ebon triad to be discovered by the locals. We then entered a lodge occupied by elves living by the lakeside, killed them all, took their bodies out in boats and sank the lot. We left a false written proclamation on the entrance to their lodge stating that they had killed the dwarves for their heinous, dark blasphemous worship and then had left the polluted and morally bankrupt town of Diamond Lake for ever.

Our D.M has reasoned that the major players in the plotline like Alustan deal with us because divine guidance has revealed that ‘creatures once fallen from grace‘ will be central to defeating the goals of the Ebon triad. It’s an uneasy alliance at times but we’re damn effective against most of the opponents we’ve faced to date. We had a tough time against the Ooze demon beneath the arena though, that old damage reduction/good was a real problem.

Of course being in the Free City was awkward, we had to spend most of our time in the sewers until we met Eligos in the story-line. Our entry into the Champions Belt contest was a real novelty for the contest, “Oloth Rein” or “Darkness Falls” in common parlance was our name. After we won the contest we had 1000 silver coins specially minted and then distributed around to keep the name of the ‘dark heroes’ alive in the city.

Anway, we’re back in the Whispering Cairns (Wind Duke tombs?) and the challenge is really ramping up… be interesting to know if there are other neutral/evil groups playing the campaign.