After a few delays, The PC's finally made it around to the Citadel of Hextor and took down Theldrick. But they took a SERIOUS beating in the process. 4 out of the 5 characters went unconscious during the 2 hour epic battle. 2 to -9 before being stabilized and -5, and -4 respectively for the others. (This was mainly due to to inability of the barbarian and cleric/rogue to hit the broad side of a barn from the inside.
Here is my problem.
The Ebon Aspect starts churning at this point and is supposed to start coming after the party in 10 minutes. The cleric/wizards are out of every tactically useful spell and need to rest. Most of them will die if they face the aspect at this time. Do I let them rest and set up the final battle in the dark cathedral the next day? Or, do I have the aspect come after them as written...
The party is as follows (all 4th level):
Morgan: a spiderclimbing warlock
Fran: An AoO oriented spiked-chain wielding swashbuckler
Sevored: A half-orc barbarian
Jack: cleric 2/rogue 2
Ren: Dwarf Wizard using the spell point system.
My inclination is to wait, let them rest, maybe send a few straggeling fanatics with a level or 2 of fighter to taunt them while the cleric/wizard rest.
Thanks in advance
Let them escape back to town, then send the Ebon Aspect after them the next day. (There's some guidance about sending a second Ebon Aspect after them once they've left the dungeon, in the "scaling the adventure" sidebar).
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The issue is whether or not the XP from the encounter would be missed or not.
I'd suggest you let the PC's make their way back to the surface to rest and recoup. Meanwhile the Ebon Aspect bubbles and simmers in its pool until the middle of the night from whence it rises up the adit and lays waste to Dourstone's mine holding. This will rouse the town and the PCs can either participate willingly or allow the garrison and other powerful NPCs handle the Aspect. This will certainly be all the proof the Lord Governor-Mayor will need about cults in his town...
Here is my problem.
The Ebon Aspect starts churning at this point and is supposed to start coming after the party in 10 minutes. The cleric/wizards are out of every tactically useful spell and need to rest. Most of them will die if they face the aspect at this time. Do I let them rest and set up the final battle in the dark cathedral the next day? Or, do I have the aspect come after them as written...
If they are resting in the dungeon, I think staging the final battle in the dark cathedral the next day will be fine. It sounds like Erik had the Aspect show up a while after the Paizo team finished off the Faceless One.
Thats interesting, when I ran the module, I was under the impression that the Ebon Aspect manifests upon the death of all of the Triad leaders.
Upon killing the last leader (Faceless One) in my campaign, the Ebon Aspect began to form. My party was a bit winded, so they rested in Faceless' lair. As they were leaving at the pool, the Aspect surged forward berserk (the PCs don't know what the Dungeon magazine says should happen, so I make a decision that will best tell my story). The PCs defeated the Aspect, but in a last moment of rage, the Aspect swings mightily and destroys a pillar: a critical pillar. The Aspect falls, and the entire mine begins to shake - pieces fall Indiana Jones style, and the PCs make a mad rush for the elevator in a race against time.
While they make it out of the mine in broad daylight, some miners are not so lucky. This begins a political battle that is beyond the scope of your question, but I think you get the picture.
Finally, there is a magic item that has existed in our game for a long time, that frankly I'm surprised I have not seen thus far: a Potion of Rejuvenation. This potion provides the drinker with the equivelant of an entire day's rest. Further, spell casters gain the additional benefit as they may re-memmorize their spells (or otherwise replenish them). They are allowed to re-allocate them if they so desire. This makes it useful as a combat item, also (e.g. the cleric didn't memorize Death Ward and suddenly faces a vampire).
While it breaks some mechanics of the game, it IS magical and in many cases both rare and expensive. I created this magic item because there are many campaigns that I run, almost all of them from Dungeon, that must be completed in one fell swoop. Some of these excellent Dungeon adventures must expect the PCs to rest, or either be ultra powerful for their level or extremely lucky thus far and not take a lick of damage. The problem in these adventures is that it makes little logical sense for the villains to stand around after half of their numbers were slaughtered while PCs sleep in the room next to them. A couple of AoW examples include the Lizordfolk Lair and Grallek's Lair.
This is going to be interesting. The party read the handouts and quickly noticed the part about the Ebon Aspect stirring in the pool and a traumatic event would be final piece of the puzzle. This was confirmed by some "subtle" clues. After Grallak was slain (1st to go), I mentioned a funny smell in the dark cathedral and the pool was a bit darker. After the faceless one went down, the pool was bubbling and the smell was almost nauseating.
If they try to run, I will let them (after a fort save or two). If they decide to rest, I could be updating the obituary thread.
An item like a potion of rejuvenation is extremely powerful. I would put some severe limitations on it regarding cost and creation. First, I would make it a wondrous item: elixir of rejuvenation. To make it a potion implies that it duplicates a spell, which it doesn't. And any spell that allows a caster to re-memorize spells is much too powerful to put into the game, excepting perhaps a wish or an epic spell specifically designed to do that, not one of 1st-3rd level (the potion limit).
Second, I would require that the creation of the item involve high level spells. Restoration at the least, but probably Greater Restoration and Regeneration.
Third, I would make it an extremely expensive item. As a one-shot item, it should be the kind of thing the PCs don't even consider using until the chips are truly down. As a benchmark, I would base it off the cost of a one-shot regeneration item usable by anyone. Spell level x caster level x 50 gp = 7 x 13 x 50 = 4,550 gp. Just to round it off, I'd probably make it 5,000 gp since this is probably at least a bit more useful than the actual effect of regeneration. I forget if there are any material or xp costs for these spells but that would raise the cost a bit if there are.
Fourth, I wouldn't allow it to grant instant re-memorization to wizards and clerics. They would still have to take an hour to re-memorize. Sorcerers, bards, and other spontaneous casters would get instant benefit though.
Finally, just to make it a bit more universally useful and to mitigate that high price a bit, the elixir would regenerate one limb, eye, or similar body-part previously severely or destroyed, if any, and heal the drinker as if he had done bed rest for 24 hours (double his level in hp).
Here's the final item, were I to allow something of this nature.
Elixir of Rejuvenation: This hearty elixir of irridescent blue liquid is a draught that refreshens the body and mind of the drinker instantaneously, as if he had received 24 hours of bed rest. The effect includes healing a number of hit points equal to twice his level, removing fatigue and exhaustion, and restoring a spell-casters full allotment of daily spells. Casters who prepare must still take a full hour to re-memorize or pray for their spells, but spontaneous casters gain the benefit instantaneously. In addition, the elixir allows regeneration, as the spell, of one eye, limb, or similar body part which has been lost or rendered useless.
CL 13th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, regeneration; Market Price: 5,000 gp.
I think by NOT releasing it immediatly your doing your group a discredit. Rather than showing them their actions did something MAJOR, letting it loose on them at a later point makes it seem like an afterthought. Rather than a wicked force of an evil god, it becomes another monster to hack down.
However its clear your party can't face it. So don't let them. Run it like the Balrog from the Lord of the Rings Movie. Something massive and horrible that chases them down, but they manage to evade it for a short while.
Have its roars be heard through the hallways. Let them feel the evil "rolling" through the hallways. Have the temperature drop to an icy chill. Let them know something wicked comes their way. Finally when they do see it for the first time. Have it spend lots of time smashing scenery and walls, rather than advancing on the party. Let them come up with clever ways to distract it. Finally as they make it to the elevator and are going up have it come bursting back into the center chamber. As the elevator crawls up so slowly have it start scaling the elevator shaft below them. They will probably begin firing on it or something. Have a "lucky" shot knock it back down the shaft roaring and cursing the whole way.
Make their daring escape the coolest part of the campaign so far. And if someone does something rash or heroic and ends up facing the beast alone. Let them! They will die 100% certain, but it will be so exciting for the group that they will talk about it for weeks! Have their sacrifice be a noble cause that spurs the group further into investigating the AoW. I bet even despite the death, the player will be having a great time and thats why we all play this game.
Now if the group is not standing enough to flee, place a handful of clearly marked healing potions to get them on their feet enough to run away. You want to make it sporting at least.
I'm personally chaning the adventure so that the FO has a potion of gaseous form and escapes to be a recurring villain- he'll drink the potion and, laughing, slip from the chamber. The party should be smart enough to pursue him (they'd have top be pretty dumb to not follow a guy who just tried to kill them and could come back at any time). When they get back to the elevator shaft, he's summoning the EA. If they kill him, he dies with a laugh and a curse. If not, he escapes and comes back later.
In any case, the EA then rises from the the pool and charges the party. If they handled the FO well, they'll be in for a climactic encounter; if he nearly killed them, they'll be advised to flee up the elevator shaft, maybe with a fighter using total defense to hold it off (and either jumping onto the elevator or sacrificing himself, not sure what will happen).
Of course, you've already killed the FO, so I'd say send the EA after them and go with the LotR escape scene described above.
I agree that you have to let the party realize that their actions are what brought the event about. Obviously, though, they'll be crushed in their current state. Depending on how they've interacted around town, Allustan could always come to the rescue (see Balrog reference above) or Ragnolin may have mobilized the garrison or his own forces against the unknown intruders that he somehow learned of. Smenk might also have people in place at the top of the elevator to tie up any loose ends that might pop up their heads. At a minimum, though, they should see a steaming, bubbling pool that drives them out of the mine quickly or should hear it bellowing in the halls and hounding them all the way to the surface should they attempt to rest within the complex.
Having someone else come to the rescue kind of belittles the actions of the PC's. Let them be creative and come up with a way out. Just make the creature impressive but secretly impotent in its attacks. Have it chuck bits of masonary at them cracking the walls, then bust into a roar and smash some random feature of furniture. THEN have it give chase only to stop again a few rounds later. It should be a nasty game of Cat and Mouse with a lot of "cinematic" manuvers. ie Players chucking furniture in its path, baricading doors, etc etc. Just don't make it deadly, make it memorable.