trepelano's page

DedmeetDM is right.

I am sorry I didn't understand why you thought each one got a 4d6 lightning bolt. I can see now how you might get that impression from the text.

I suppose it is possible for the whips to break into smaller groups and use multiple lightning bolts, though I have never considered this before.

If the party is spread out, though - it might prove an effective strategy - though in D&D combat logic its usually best to concentrate on taking down an opponent rather than spreading around the damage since a combatant with 2 hp does is just as dangerous as he is with 50hp in any given round.

If you wanted to create several weaker lightning bolts, just remember that it takes a group of two or more kuo-toa in order to create a lightning bolt. A single kuo-toa can "group" with the statue, but in any case the statue can only be part of one group at a time.

Since you have already run this encounter once with the party, I would suggest you up the XP reward substantially.

According to the Monster Manual, it takes at least two whips to create a lightning bolt and it deals 1d6 damage per whip involved.

I storngly suggest you read the entry for Kuo-Toa on page 163-164.

I am even moreso concerned that characters are supposed to gain enough XP to level twice by the end of Thirteen Cages, and do it without resting.

I am no math guru, but that seems a bit difficult. Are there mitigating circumstances that I have not noticed in the chapter that allow a party of six characters to gain around 186,000 xp in one shot? That comes out to 42 CR 15 encounters.

Perhaps the issue is not whether the party will level in the middle of the chapter, but rather is the party going to be the appropriate level at the beginning of Strike on Shatterhorn.

This is the reason I am seeking advice from DMs who have run these adventures.

Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with turning decades old conventions on how to run D&D on their ear - but I kinda like making those sorts of decisions myself.

What I am looking for is less of an official "the module is always right" answer and more advise from like-minded DMs (call me "old-school" if you want) who prefer to find a way to make these chapters work without having to explain to their players why the rules for leveling that everyone has been using for the last 15 levels (if not years of gaming) didn't just get tossed out the window.

How does this work?

Is the party supposed to actually gain three levels in a matter of hours?

Party starts Foundation of Flame at 15th level, but is supposed to be 16th level for Thirteen Cages, which takes place "hours" after FoF ends (I am assuming its 8 hours later so the party can rest and regain spells).

Thirteen Cages is set against a timer. The party is not supposed to rest or regain resources until the end of the adventure. They are also supposed to be 18th level by the next adventure. Is it really possible to survive enough encounters to level twice without resting or regaining resources?

I consider myself pretty relaxed about leveling - I allow members to gain a level after a night's rest - but it would appear that they are supposed to "ding" a la Everquest.

How have other DMs handled this?

Or have the paladin from the temple go with them. He has a solid motive for going and it would be good for them to get to know (and hopefully like) this NPC as he figures heavily in the future.

The only downside there is you have to make sure he isn't killed.

I am looking to join a group in the Birmingham area that plays on a wweek night. I have experience with D&D, and a bit of Call of Cthulhu, Deadlands, Paranoia, and Vampire.

I can be contacted at d30something@ptmalone.com

For the most part I am in agreement with the idea of the NPC level progression as presented in the book - the player characters should rise above the NPCs so having the NPCs trail the player characters by a level makes sense.

However there are two exceptions, IMO.

The first and most obvious (to me) is Jenya. Of all the NPCs that have level progression, she sticks out as the one character that doesn't actually do any adventuring. For this reason, it seems to me that her level progression seems a bit too fast. I plan to have her gain one level for each 2 levels the player characters gain - beginning immediately. This means that she will actually stay higher level than the party for a bit longer, reaching 9th level at the same time as the party and then trailing further and further behind them. She will be 14th level by the last chapter.

The other exception is a bit less obvious and that is the Stormblades. I agree with the sentiment that the player characters should outshine the Stormblades, but the fact that those NPCs all have a level of aristocrat already puts them behind the party in power. I want the NPCs to remain credible competition to the party, so I will make their levels match the party's. Even still, they are technically one CR lower than the party members due to having a level in an NPC class.

An opinions on any of this?

My players brought in pre-existing characters from a very short-lived campaign I ran two years ago. They were 2nd level. We added two more 1st level characters (new players).

Yes, they are all a bit overpowered for the first adventure, and will also be overpowered for the second adventure.

To my mind this is not such a bad thing. These two adventures are where the party gets their feet wet and start building a reputation as heroes. They are feeling really good about themselves and are even a bit cocky.

Since the lowered xp awards will make them just right for chapter 3, it will be fun watching them actually break a sweat and worry a bit. I think it will increase their determination and respect for what they are going up against in the long run.

I have local low-level wizard named Digglis that they go to to have spells cast (like identify) or to identify potions. He is a decidedly non-adventuring bookish wizard, and I might increase his level as the party advances. That way I can keep using the same NPC personality and they will get a sense of familiarity.

I can see Digglis taking mostly item creation feats.

If you do something similiar, the only discount they should get is the cost of the weapon itself. After all, Diggless wants to be compensated for burning his xp like that.

Heh,

Why do am starting to feel like the Stormblades should have their own WB show?

I thought about bumping up the levels, but I didn't like the idea of the Stormblades being higher level than the party.

I think I will go with the monk and the arcane trickster.

The monk will be Annah's twin brother, Andre - a self-obsessed, overachieving perfectionist with a winning smile. He and Cora will have had a past relationship, though both eventually found the other failing to live up to their expectations. (LN)

The arcane trickster (sorcerer/rogue) will be Zachary's younger sister, Emerilyn. She is the only member who really likes Todd on a personal level, but she has a crush of Andre. Unfortunately, she is nowhere near the physical perfection that Andre expects of the women he sees. (CN)

I am running this campaign with the suggested 6 players (plus an occasional 7th) and the Stormblades seem a bit underwhelming when stacked against the PCs.

I am thinking this NPC party would do well to have additional members to match the player's party size.

The question is, what would be good additions to the Stormblades - not just from a party balance perspective, but also from a personality mix perspective.

I am sure everyone here has their own take on what other characters would be good additions, so I will start by posting my own ideas.

First off, I don't think adding another bard or ranger would be a good idea. Other classes that seem obviously ill-suited for the group (for personality reasons) are barbarian, druid, and paladin.

The party seems to be lacking in the arcane magic department, but I don't think a full-blown wizard would be a good fit with the current group dynamic. It's not easy to explain, but the Stormblades just don't seem to be the right group for a wizard, especially at higher levels.

A cleric (other than Zachary) might work. Maybe a Wizard/Cleric multiclassed (Wee Jas?). Could go the Mystic Theurge route, I suppose - but this might still be a bad fit for the party's personalities.

A second fighter - tank-style would be a great asset. I am concerned, however,that it would take something away from Cora.

I am keen on a sorcerer, perhaps slightly multiclassed. I kind of like a sorcerer/rogue combo which could be quite different than Todd's rogue character. Maybe a bit of arcane trickster or shadowdancer at higher levels?

At first I thought monk would be a bad fit, but the more I think about it, the more I like this option. Obviously, this character would need a personality that goes along with the rest of the group (LN), but I can see this happening. I imagine a rather narcissistic overachiever who strives for physical and mental "perfection".

Of course, I suppose I could get funky and use a psionic class - but I havne't really considered adding that set of rules to the game.

I would love to hear what others think about adding extra members to the Stormblades - and what they think would make for good members to the group.