I would like to see Dungeon continue to revisit my favorite D&D city (playing since 1983 baby). I know I read somewhere where Cauldron might be involved in AoW but I would like to see some stand alone adventures set in the city that have nothing to do with an adventure path. Maybe some suport material fleshing out the city on some of the back pages. They don't need to over-do it. Maybe only 2 or 3 times a year.
Anyone else like to see that?
I'm handling the AP in a slightly different manner to the ordinary which has allowed me plenty of opportunities for Side Treks and adventures in and around Cauldron.
What I'm doing is only awarding half the recommended XP to the players as they progress. Currently we are just completing Life's Bazaar (we are slow and play infrequently sadly) but using this method the players have still reached 3rd. This was without awarding XP for such things as traps and hostages. I'm sure this will not be the case in every adventure.
We devised this system/ruling for three reasons.
1) In previous campaigns we found that players never had an opportunity to get used to new abilities, skills, spells, powers etc before they were up a new level and given new abilities, skills, spells, powers...
2) Players found themselves feeling detached from their characters. They were not afforded the time to make allies, enemies etc before they were meant to be all powerful. I that some blame for this but the system we believed played a more esculated role.
3)It also us to play double the adventures, have twice the encounters, before advancing. This will mean far more time for roleplaying and establishing strong foundations for their characters.
So currently I have devised a side trek in Cauldrons Environs to assist in fleshing out one of the characters backgrounds. Between each AP 'step/adventure' I will have the players undertake similiar adventures. First to assist in fleshing out each characters background then to help develop under developed areas in and around the city.
If you are interested I will keep you posted about what I come up with.
Delvesdeep
I'm interested, Delvesdeep! I plan on doing something similar with my group. We're starting in a month after everyone's work schedules align and I've been planning a few side treks myself. Do you have something written out that you could submit to the Campaign Mods section over at the archvie? I'll be posting mine as the time comes, too. After all, I have become a huge fan of your gaming aids, y'know. Kind of makes me wish I lived Down Under, so I could join your group. :)
I'd be very interested in seeing an adventure or two set in Cauldron every year. It's a great place to visit for adventure!
I'm interested, Delvesdeep! I plan on doing something similar with my group. We're starting in a month after everyone's work schedules align and I've been planning a few side treks myself. Do you have something written out that you could submit to the Campaign Mods section over at the archvie? I'll be posting mine as the time comes, too. After all, I have become a huge fan of your gaming aids, y'know. Kind of makes me wish I lived Down Under, so I could join your group. :)
I've written up something based on the small Dungeon Adventure called Provincal Prior (or something along these lines) that links in with my Clerics background. She is part of an order of paladins, fighters and clerics who were recently expelled from their home country and branded traitors by the king. Now they are hunted as outlaws in their home country.
My player has fled to the frontier lands (Cauldron) to investigate the disappearance of one of the orders leaders who was given the task of establishing a new base for the order but went missing with half the Knights treasury. This leader was the orders sage and loremaster who had researched the area for years before suggesting the location. He was Fetor.
The biggest twist will be when the High Bishop of country they feld from turns out to be one of the cagewrights and the true motivation behind the Knights Chivlar being branded traitors in the first place.
I'm still figuring out the details but the first Cauldron 'Side Trek' will involve the players hunting down the red haired, black knight that desecrated the shrine of Heironeous and killed the head cleric. This will lead them into Cauldrons Environs and to some of Fetors corrupted followers - all of who have gorged out an eye and painted or tatooed around it with black 'smoke' (Smoking Eye of Adimarchus).
Admidst the half orc clerics possession they will find mention of both Fetor and his cohort - Triel, the black knight. This will give them additional motivation to hunt her down beneath the city during Chapter 3.
Anyway, I didn't actually intend on writing all that but when I write it all up I will amke sure I place it in the RPGenius Campaign Mods archive.
Keep up the great work on the Shackled CIty Resourse site koramado.
Delvesdeep
i would love to see a return to Cauldron now and again in Dungeon magazine.
...who knows, maybe a new threat could arise and a new batch of fresh faced 1st level playrers (sons and daughters of their old ones) might have to save cracked cauldron from a new menace.
I'd love to see some 1st level adventues there. It doesn't have to do anything with the Adventure path exept for the setting.
Sounds great to me...as does.....
City of Adventure: Cauldron after the AP....
I'd buy that!
I think that Cauldron will eventually be one of those D&D Icons such as Blackmoor, City of Greyhawk and Waterdeep....even if my wife thinks it's stupid to build a city inside a volcano crater.
Cauldron is rife with potential adventure after the AP concludes for both Epic and traditional play. I will buy ANY Dungeon magazine that includes Cauldron goodness.
-Neomorte
I, for one, would like to see an epic adventure or two, for those players that finished the AP. My players have fallen in love with their characters and it's going to be a shame when we get to the end of the adventure path and we retire the characters.
If you are interested I will keep you posted about what I come up with.Delvesdeep
I would certaintly be interested, Delvesdeep. It's too late for my players in Shackled City to do this, but I'm preparing to run a larger group through Age of Worms, and this approach sounds like a lot of fun.
Rhen