Finishing up Three Faces of Evil

[Darren Bezzant]

Just finished big fight with the Faceless One, with a couple of key character deaths, so I need to do a bit of planning depending on how the remaining characters proceed.

1. Is there any way to prevent the Ebon Aspect from being summoned? The group has basically dealt with each of the temples, I think that they think that the Big Bad Thing has been averted. But reading the module, I don't see what averts the Big Bad Thing from bursting out of the Black pool and deicmating the remaining players.

2. If there is no way to prevent it (or even if there is and they havent succeeded in it), I will probably let them sneak back to town whilst the Ebon Aspect is erupting. Then they will have to hustle and come back down before it grows too big and decides to leave the temples and work its way through the mine, then Diamond Lake, then The World (mwhaaahaha!)

My question is, has anyone come up with a rate of growth progression (I don't have my module to hand while writing this, so if it is in the adventure, my apologies).

Thanks in advance

Darren.

[James Jacobs]

By defeating the three temples, the PCs actually do prevent the Big Bad Thing from happening, although the module doesn't make that very clear, in retrospect. If the PCs fail and the Ebon Triad continues to function, the Ebon Aspect that they'll raise from the pool in the Dark Cathedral would be MUCH more powerful. By killing off the cultists they force the Ebon Aspect to form prematurely, stunting its potential and resulting in a CR 6 monster rather than a CR 16 monster.

[Darren Bezzant]

Thanks James for the quick response!

I'll definitely keep that in mind, but seeing as how my group hasnt done a lot of investigative work in any of the temples,

(For Example, They picked up the scrolls in the Templeand deposited them with the rest of the treasure and havent even looked at them since)

I may let the Aspect appear regardless, just smaller, but let it grow depending on how long they take to come back to finish it off. My vision of having this huge creature break its way out of the mine into Diamond Lake really appeals to me! :)

I just need to work out how big it grows and at what progression and then temper that by the actions of the party.

Happy Roleplaying!

Darren.

[GUTH]

Out of Morbid curiousity, what would the stats be like for a fully functional Ebon Aspect? I believe that my group doesn't plan to raid the Dourstone Mines because they are too afraid that they'll be killed. Thus they will face this terror later in the adventure and discover they could have fought it in a lesser form in the Dark Cathedral.
Are there possible stats for the fully function Ebon Aspect available (CR 16 rather than 6) or is there some other monster available in D&D books that might be a good basis for the stats of a fully functional Ebon Aspect?

[bshugg]

James Jacobs wrote:

. By killing off the cultists they force the Ebon Aspect to form prematurely, stunting its potential and resulting in a CR 6 monster rather than a CR 16 monster.

For as quick as he rattled off that the big ones are CR 16, makes me think we will see them again later on in the AoW. Probably in the big brother form.

[Rasmar]

We finally get to see what the Ebon Aspect could have become in Issue 131.

THE OVERGOD CR 17
Advanced Ebon Aspect
NE Huge outsider (Evil)
AC 26
hp 285 (30 HD)
DR 15/magic and good
SR 26
Melee bite +30 (3d6+21/19-20) and 3 claws +28 (1d6+15/19-20)
Space/Reach 15ft/15ft

You can read more about him in Dungeon 131.
He definately would have whiped out a level 5 party, without even blinking.

[Shade325]

My PC's was in a similar situation. No deaths but comepletely out of resources and low on hp when they defeated the Faceless one. I stole an idea from someone else on this list and had the temple complex begin to collapse with the death of the Faceless One.

Into this collapse rises the Ebon Aspect. The PC's jumped on the elevator and road it as fast as it would go... think it took like 20 rounds to get out. The Aspect was a couple rounds behind them but eventually caught up. When it started climbing after the PC's they started shooting everything they could at it. Took it down about a 3rd hitpoints over about 10 round before it caught them. They were able to knock it off the elevator but it grabbed a hold of the side just as the elevator entered a 10 x 10 shart (just big enough for the elevator) and sheered the Aspects hand off.

The PCs ran out of the mine (which was also collapsing) just before the mine fell in. The whole town was out helping the miners escape the collapsing mine. The PC's come out and collapse to the ground only to have the Aspect come storming about about 20 rounds later. With a little help from Allustan, they were able to finish it.

Later,

Shade325