Hey, everyone. One of the players in my AoW campaign, upon completing the Three Faces of Evil adventure, decided to take a level or two of Ranger- his original plan was to take Favored Enemy: Undead, but as there haven't been much Undead thus far to justify him hating them so much, he decided (with my permission, of course) to take Favored Organization instead (from Unearthed Arcana- basically, you gain all of your favored enemy bonuses when dealing with members of the organization of your choosing). As it made the most sense, he chose the Ebon Triad as his favored organization.
I'm completely fine with this- it fits his character. However, I just have one question- who would it apply to? I understand there are certain people who are obviously Ebon Triad members (all of the people in TFoE, that Bazol Zahol (or whatever his name is), but what about people that nobody knows to be Ebon Triad members, like Loris Raknian? Or, more importantly, what about Lashonna? She's the one that started it, but she isn't exactly a member, since she knows it's all a hoax, right?
I guess this is mainly a question regarding the Favored ORganization ability, but as far as the Age of Worms Adventure Path is concerned, could someone give me a run-down of who all is part of the Ebon Triad?
I think that you are correct about the character needing to know that an opponent is a member of the organization. But, on the up side, I would count "The Overgod" as well. I think Lashonna should count, if the PCs find out she founded the organization, and the avolakias as well, again, IF they find out about their involvement. If you are too narrow in focus, I think the organization idea gets too hard to use.
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I'd use the guideline of "apply the Organizational bonus approximately as often as a standard Enemey bonus might apply".
From there, you can either be generous or stingy about who is and isn't considered a part of that organization. If I remember correctly, from the bit I've read of "Unearthed Arcana" but also more recently from the general equivalent in the Wormhunter prestige class presented in "Dragon" magazine, the ability covers everyone who has a direct tie to the organization and works to further its goals, including lackeys and hirelings.
Rather than do an module-by-module run-down of who I would and wouldn't include, I'll just use "Champion's Belt" as an example
I'd include Okoral (Raknian's cohort, and Raknian is most definitely affiliated with the Triad) and even the Pitch Blade dwarves (Okoral's hirelings). Probably the Apostle of Kyuss, even though it's less tied to the Triad than to Kyuss. When you get to things like the froghemoth, a tool used by Triad members in an attempt to off the heroes, it's a bit murky.
Backing up one step, I would not allow the bonus to work against the doppelgangers or illithid from "Hall of Harsh Reflections". They're connected to the Triad only tenuously and thorugh mercenary pay. A fine line between Pitch Blade working more directly with Okoral, sure, but that's where I'd draw the line.
If there's not enough Triad enemies included in later modules to make your player satisfied with his/her choice, it'd do you well to pepper some in to the existing scenarios. Instead of intermittent attacks by demons seeking the fragment of the Rod of Seven Parts, as detailed in either "A Gathering of Winds" or "Spire of Long Shadows" (I forget which one), have them beset from time to time by deranged agents of the Ebon Triad. You could spice things up by alternating between those with ties to Vecna, Hextor, or Erythnul (or whichever gods you're using).
Good gaming!
I'm completely fine with this- it fits his character. However, I just have one question- who would it apply to? I understand there are certain people who are obviously Ebon Triad members (all of the people in TFoE, that Bazol Zahol (or whatever his name is), but what about people that nobody knows to be Ebon Triad members, like Loris Raknian? Or, more importantly, what about Lashonna? She's the one that started it, but she isn't exactly a member, since she knows it's all a hoax, right?
I guess this is mainly a question regarding the Favored ORganization ability, but as far as the Age of Worms Adventure Path is concerned, could someone give me a run-down of who all is part of the Ebon Triad?
Of course, none of us have read anything beyond Redhand, but I suspect that there won't be any more Ebon Triad related encounters beyond that adventure since the players should figure out it's a front/fake organisation in that adventure. Frankly, the Ebon Triad is a red-herring, and you may be doing your player a disservice letting them choose that organisation as a favored enemy. Of course, up until Redhand your players won't *know* it's a red-herring, so you don't want to give it away to early.
I just can't help but wondering if the Ranger in question won't feel a bit put-out when he finds out that he's been duped. Sure, everyone else has too, but he actually made character development decisions based on a false pretense, which likely won't benefit his character at all in the final legs of the adventure path.
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If the ranger in question ever gets to the point in the plot where the Ebon Triad is revealed as a hoax, I (if I was his DM) would be inclined to allow the player to extend the benefit to include the bad guys that created the organization, and their sponsors, as part of a broadening roleplaying revelation. That should be a climactic point for the character--the point where his quest to hunt out the villains of that organization reaches its final stages--and it wouldn't seem fair to deprive him of the game-related benefits of his diligent pursuit simply because he was successful at it.
I've never been a fan of the favored enemy ability. I can see the bonuses applying to a narrow field such as a specific humanoid type but it seems unlikely that the same bonus that applies to a beholder also applies to a rust monster. It just doesn't make any sense. Stretching that rule to cover persons, creatures and undead within an organization goes way too far. Just look at 3FoE, you've got multiple humanoid types, animals, undead and magical beasts. I can see maybe a sense motive working better against an organization, perhaps bluff but anything else is ridiculous.
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If the ranger in question ever gets to the point in the plot where the Ebon Triad is revealed as a hoax, I (if I was his DM) would be inclined to allow the player to extend the benefit to include the bad guys that created the organization, and their sponsors, as part of a broadening roleplaying revelation. That should be a climactic point for the character--the point where his quest to hunt out the villains of that organization reaches its final stages--and it wouldn't seem fair to deprive him of the game-related benefits of his diligent pursuit simply because he was successful at it.
I agree. While, at the time, taking the ebon triad favored organization would seem like a good idea, I think he rushed into it a bit too quickly without thinking about the consequenses (then again, 3FoE DOES assume you blitzkrieg it).