My players just finished up A Gathering of Winds, and now have their eyes on locating Ilthane's lair before going on to meet Manzorian and onto The Spire of Long Shadows.
I have no problem with this. They've been talking about the dragon's lair ever since Encounter at Blackwall Keep, and they've got every right to want to find it.
The player that runs the party druid says that he'd like to use find the path to locate the lair, but is hesitant to bring it into the game at all because he doesn't really like that spell when he DMs his games. I don't have a problem with the spell (at the moment) but I wouldn't want the party to all of a sudden start using it on off-the-wall ideas (great... let's go find the *next* closest dragon's lair!) and have that wrench in the gears.
So... since I've never had a player actually use this spell in a game, how is it supposed to work?
Can you say "show the way to Ilthane's lair" and you're on your way?
My bottom line is: I'm going to allow the spell to be used, but I want to make sure we're using it correctly, and consistently throughout. I don't want to say "Sure, you find Ilthane's lair" because I actually *want* them to find it to further the story on, then say that the same spell worded the same way doesn't work the next time because it would derail the game or cause me, or the players, grief over rules interpretation.
Hi Big Jake,
I never had to adjudicate the spell in-game, but I think that the key element here is the duration of the spell. If your lvl 12 Druid casts it, it works for ca. two hours and then winks out.
Of course, multiple castings and clever use can still provide the desired result, but their progress is going to be slow on long distances. Of course Teleport could throw this off (if the Wizard is the beneficiary of the spell), but then they expose themselves to mishaps for teleporting to a place they do not know.
You could say that the beneficiary, when he first receives the benefits of the spell, sense that the locale is very far away. Maybe your players will decide to leave it for later when they realize that the distance combined with the spell's duration make this a long trip and not just a ride of a couple of days.
Also you could have Allustan talk to them and insist that, even if they want to go hoard-hunting, they might as well first drop by Manzorian on their way (since it is more or less the same general direction, at least if you play in greyhawk).
That way, it is still up to the players to decide where they go next, but they get the big picture and can decide how they want to proceed. You're not railroading them, but providing enough info so they can see what their character think is important for them and if they are ready to set aside the time to travel to the hoard right now.
Bocklin
Can you say "show the way to Ilthane's lair" and you're on your way?
Yes, I think that's pretty much it. However, as already noted, the spell may expire before you reach the destination. Also, note that it doesn't tell you where the location actually is, only what to do at any given time to travel there most directly from wherever you are. (If you really wanted to nerf the spell, you could decide that it will fail if the duration isn't long enough to reach the destination.)
Unlike the previous poster, I don't think that it could be used in conjunction with teleport spells, as it only reveals the "most direct physical route".
Finally, I wouldn't consider "the next closest dragon's lair" to be a "specified location" in terms of Find the Path.
It sounds like a DM call.
Is it 'As the crow flies' or is it like Onstar.
"Travel down Blue Dragon road till you turn north onto
King Fred's highway."
If the spell is still in effect it will give more instructions.
Given the examples used in the spell description, I think you have to be very specific about the location you want, i.e. name of the place or owner's name. "The lair of the dragon Ilthane" works, but "the nearest dragon's lair" does not.
I'd say that initially, the spell would indicate a compass direction to the lair throughout its duration. The 11th or 12th level caster has only a couple of spells of this level, so he's maybe going to have to run the spell for a couple hours a day, or check in twice per day to make sure they're still traveling the right direction. In Greyhawk, the party will run into the Nyr Dyv somewhere quite close to Magepoint in this fashion, and presumably realize they've got to take a ship across it or take the long road around it.
If the party goes to this location early, will you set it up so the offspring have already trashed Ilthane's alchemy lab and created the acidwraith? If so, it's likely to be a TPK or a wasted trip (run away, run away!) for the PCs unless you alter the monster or the terms of the encounter to water it down a bit for them. So make sure and give them some hints about how dangerous it will be. ("The wise wyrm leaves his lair well-guarded," etc.--folk wisdom tells them not to assume that just because you've killed a dragon that his treasure is easy pickings).
You can dissuade them without railroading by roleplaying day by day the boring travel, giving them time to remember that Ilthane's treasure isn't their main concern at this point. If that fails, have tavern bards report ominous news and roadside beggars make dire prophecies to remind them that they are neglecting their quest, and that the world will pay for their greed. You can also have Allustan or other wise NPCs throw a couple of old sayings at them about how the gods reward those who think first of the common good (or their duty), not those who think first of filling their purses.
If they still persist, despite signs from the gods and the DM, then perhaps they deserve whatever the dice bring them.
Also review why they are supposed to go there during Prince of Redhand, and decide what else has to change if the PCs accomplish this task much earlier than anticipated.