I just started running the AoW and my party just got to the stairs leading to area 19. How far do the steps go down? To me it looks like they were only about 10ft down. If this is the case, how can the entire area be under water. I think I really messed this part up!!!
Beldar
I would think since the wind dukes were an average of 7 feet tall that the steps would probably be steeper then average human sized steps, maybe by only 2 or 3 inches per step... but that can add up to 2-3 feet easily.
Ultimately it probably doesn't matter... your the DM you could add 5 or 10 feet to the length of stairs. The only thing that matters about that room is that it is fully submerged. Which is why the ghoul encounter is treated as if it were an EL 2 encounter. If the characters can come up for air, or they can wade through it with their heads above water it is not nearly as dangerous.
I pictured area 19 like a school shower room approximately 10 feet deep, but completely under water. That water comes out to the stairs which I made just a little longer than it is depicted in the module. My players usually are not to nit-picky about things.
I really had fun with the descriptions in room 19, it's not too often you get an underwater scene. Players bringing the everburning torch can cast an eerie glow about the cavern with the added underwater distortion. There was high suspense as I gave the description for the room as they came around the first barrier.
Yeah, you really want to play up the hide-and-seek with the ghoul. I had them spot each other at a distance. The PC made his initiative roll and simply swam out. The ghoul couldn't catch him, and got blasted as soon as he stepped out of the water in pursuit. Missed opportunity.
Oh, I pictured the ceilings as being the usual 20', with the water coming all the way up to ceiling level.
At my highshcool, the steps where EXTREMELY steep, and only a few inches wide. My whole group eaisly pictured this scene. They also came up with getting a mine pump to pump out the water which really made the ghoul encounter a cinch.
The unconcious evil water elemental is now growing weeds in the pcs garden though. They ran the pipe to the mages herb garden for irrigation.
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The elemental never came out of the water in my game... when the players retreated up the stairs the elemental just moved back to the back of the showers. I just couldn't see the elemental leaving the water.
The ghoul, however, was going to chase them out of the room, but the cleric turned it and it retreated back to its room. They ended up fighting it there when they went looking for it.
I made the steps "long enough to completely submerge the area." The group was completely under water. As no one in the party had dark vision, things got scary when the lights went out. As they couldn't see very far, the players had to get close before they found the ghoul.
It made for a tense, but enjoyable encounter.
rooster
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I made the steps "long enough to completely submerge the area." The group was completely under water. As no one in the party had dark vision, things got scary when the lights went out. As they couldn't see very far, the players had to get close before they found the ghoul.
It made for a tense, but enjoyable encounter.
rooster
That is exactly how I ran it. The players are scarred to death to go further down there. The funny thing is that they have killed the ghoul and the water elemental, all that is left is the door to the bathroom.
They often come back to debating it but everytime they say whatever is behind that door can not be worth the risk.
They often come back to debating it but everytime they say whatever is behind that door can not be worth the risk.
They are right. ;)
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They often come back to debating it but everytime they say whatever is behind that door can not be worth the risk.They are right. ;)
Yes they are, but I know these guys, and once they are done everywhere else in the Cairn, they will go there...was thinking of making it worth their while..... muwhahahahahah... ~cough~
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Heh, same with our game. The one unexplored door in the dungeon sits down there taunting them and their Completest mentality.
So...what does Ulavant eat for the past 50 years? Orange goo? Or is there more behind that door than a bathroom... Fifty years of strife with that water elemental would certainly wear out a ghoul I would have thought...or Ulavant could have taken the elemental eventually...or vice versa. ::shrugs::