|
I know that this thread was basically started a while ago and it is excellent. However, it was a bit long (31 pages) and a good portion of it seems to stop around the “Three Faces of Evil”. Please don’t feel the need to re-post the same information here (I am still going through and reading it) – I just thought that it would be good to start again.
I am finally able to start DMing again and look forward to running the Age of Worms. Our setting of choice is Eberron. While the Eberron conversion notes are excellent, I too would like to hear some more ideas on how to incorporate more of the Eberron “feel”. I would like to hear ideas on some of the following with some comments on how it worked in your group.
Dragonshards – Where did you place them throughout the campaign? How often were they encountered? Was there any special significance to them in the overall plotline?
Dragonmarked – Which NPCs did you give dragonmarked to (if any)? Did the dragonmarked play a significant role in the plotline?
Locations – Did you place things in different locations than what was suggested in the conversion notes? How did it work for you? Where did you end up putting Diamond Lake? Alhaster? The Black Keep? The Spire of Longshadows? Magepoint? Library of Last Resort? The Rift Canyon? Wormcrawl Fissure?
Lightning Rail/Airships/Magebred Animals – Did you use any of these in any significant way other than for getting from here to there?
Creature Substitutions – Did you feel the need to replace some of the creatures with others to aid in the Eberron feel? What creatures did you use?
Did you use the Eberron Planes at all?
Did you use the Quori at all?
How did you explain all the dragons?
Again, please don’t feel the need to repeat information that is in the other thread. I thought that I would see if there were any new ideas – especial now that all the modules are out. Let’s here your ideas.
Bill
By the way – dizzyk – if you could send me a copy of your NPC updates, I would be interested in taking a look at it. Thank you. (email: moffrimmer (at) viafamily.com)
Our group is only half way through the Spire of Long Shadows, but here it goes:
Dragonshards – Where did you place them throughout the campaign? How often were they encountered? Was there any special significance to them in the overall plotline?
So far I've had dragonshards in a few places:
Three Faces of Evil
-The grimlocks were harvesting Dragonshards
Gathering of Winds
-The xorn area was deep in the heart of Khyber, with lots of little dragonshards
Spire of Long Shadows
-The Obsidian Ring is build from immovable Khyber shards
Dragonmarked – Which NPCs did you give dragonmarked to (if any)? Did the dragonmarked play a significant role in the plotline?
Lady ir'Tairn was dragonmarked; she was a rescued in the Halls of Harsh Reflection. She uses it to prove she's not a doppelganger. Otherwise the dragonmarked and their Houses didn't play a prominent role in my campaign.
Locations – Did you place things in different locations than what was suggested in the conversion notes? How did it work for you? Where did you end up putting Diamond Lake?
Near the hilt of the Dagger River, as the notes suggested. On a clear day they could see Sharn.
Alhaster?
Alhaster is in the Lhazaar Principalities, as suggested in the notes.
The Black Keep?
Blackwall Keep is near swamp lands by the King's Jungle, as suggested by the notes.
The Spire of Longshadows?
Q'barra, as suggested in the notes.
Magepoint?
I decided to change this one a little. I wanted the location to be a secret and Manzorian to be somewhat of a secret, so I moved the village to Zilargo. I used the map of the Kibosh village in the Races of Gnome, and had the Allustan teleport the adventurers to a teleportation faerie ring in the gnome community hall. Thanks to the Thelanis manifest zone there are many herbs and spell components that are harvested and teleported to the cities of Zilargo. The only common path in and out of the area is through teleportation, making it a very secretive location. Manzorian presents himself as a gnome, but he reveals himself as Tenser, a powerful gold dragon and archmage.
Library of Last Resort? The Rift Canyon? Wormcrawl Fissure?
I haven't gotten that far, but I'll probably follow the conversion notes.
Lightning Rail/Airships/Magebred Animals – Did you use any of these in any significant way other than for getting from here to there?
The only time we used anything like this was during the flight home to Diamond Lake after the Champion's Games. The ir'Tairns chartered the airship, and it was interesting to be aboard a booze cruise in the sky to overlooking the charred remains of Diamond Lake.
Creature Substitutions – Did you feel the need to replace some of the creatures with others to aid in the Eberron feel? What creatures did you use?
I changed some of the encounters in the Champion's Games, and I also used the suggestions in the notes.
Did you use the Eberron Planes at all?
The inevitable in Gathering of Winds was from Daanvi. I wrote a backstory on the Wind Dukes and posted it here a few months ago; I'll have to find the link and reply. Right now the adventurers are exploring the manifest zone with Thelanis at Magepoint.
Did you use the Quori at all?
We have a kalashtar in our group, but so far no Dreaming Dark encounters.
How did you explain all the dragons?
Dragon encounters have been rare in the past. The fact that there are this many evil dragons makes the situation that much more important.
Here are some major changes I made in the AP (we're at The Prince of Redhand right now) that may not be listed in the conversion notes.
By module:
THE WHISPERING CAIRN
I re-wrote the Chamber of Sighs' frescoes to highlight dragonkind's enslavement during the Age of Demons, the war b/t the two groups, the Vaati's deal with the couatl, and the banishment of Mishka.
THREE FACES OF EVIL
The Erythnul chamber was replaced with dolgrim worshippers of the Dragon Below led by a dolgaunt cleric.
ENCOUNTER AT BLACKWALL KEEP
The keep was set in a town called Mistmarsh in eastern Breland(found in The Five Nations sourcebook), and Marzena was a member of the King's Wands.
HALL OF HARSH REFLECTIONS
As written.
THE CHAMPION'S BELT
Had a Citadel Elite interested in bringing the arena owner to justice use the players to gather evidence. Replaced one of the gladiator teams with a group of warforged called The Unit. Gave the players a new Belt for winning the tourney... has the seal of Breland and Sharn worked together in adamantine and dragonshards.
A GATHERING OF WINDS
As written... after the dungeon I let the players take over Diamond Lake (in effect) and negotiate for a greater presence of dragonmarked businesses, and helped rebuild the town.
THE SPIRE OF LONG SHADOWS
Magepoint had quite a few changes... it was moved to a volcanic island (a la Cauldron) north of mainland Argonnesson. Manzorian is an Ancient Red dragon who sits on the Council of Wyrms, and is the sometime leader of the Chamber. Magepoint is both a stronghold of the Chamber and a safe haven for dragonkin that may not be accepted by other dragons or societies, including half-dragons, kobolds, dragonblood, spellscales, etc. Manzorian has some views which are quite... "progressive" for dragons his age.
The images of Kyuss after his apotheosis reflected his merging with the Overlord Katashka; backwards hands, a face with rakshasa qualities, etc. The Age of Worms prophecies were changed to fit events in Eberron; the Day of Mourning, events from current Eberron novels, etc.
THE PRINCE OF REDHAND
Per conversion notes... added some documents in Ilthane's lair incriminating certain dragons in Argonnesson in the Grand Conspiracy (see below).
LIBRARY OF LAST RESORT
The druids are an offshoot of the Gatekeepers focused on hunting undead, per conversion notes. I plan on making the cleric with the Hand a rakshasa follower of another Overlord, one focused on arcane secrets; this way the players get more contact with the Lords of Dust and get a sense of accomplishment taking on a rakshasa... hopefully distracting them from the rakshasa that's infiltrated their party...
KINGS OF THE RIFT
Dragotha and Lashonna have done a lot of work for Kyuss, but their crowing achievement has been the seduction of certain powerful dragons to swear loyalty to the Lords of the Dust. This Great Conspiracy has been going on for centuries, and is revealed to the Council of Wyrms by Manzorian through documents found in Ilthane's lair, causing a near-civil war between the dragons. The large army of dragons attacking the giants are the bulk of those dragons, sent by Dragotha in a desperate grab for his phylactery.
INTO THE WORMCRAWL FISSURE
Replacing the lich with a daelkyr (the Fleshweaver), and infusing a lot more rakshasa and their minions into the adventure. Might replace some of the artifacts with Eberron-specific artifacts.
A few interesting things that added a lot more Eberron feel to the game:
-Let the players get their own airship.
-Did a lot of traveling (magebred horses, lightning rail, etc.)
-Played up locations (Sharn, Magepoint, Principalities, etc.)
Also, I added more on the Rod of Seven Parts as part of a long-running scheme by a rakshasa deep cover agent.
TIRRA - ELF ROGUE, OR RAKSHASA AGENT?
Tirra is the deep cover of a rakshasa agent... she attached herself to Auric and Khellek in an attempt to form a major adventuring guild that would wield great influence across Khorvaire. Her masters had also forseen the group would play a part in the Age of Worms, and the recovery of some potent artifacts. What none of them saw was that Auric's Warband was only meant to spur on the PCs. Tirra realized this, and confirmed it when the players won the Champion's Belt. So she decided to use a desperate ploy to get in good with the players.
Tirra's master has access to a great trove of items, including a recently-aquired piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. Tirra took the it (the smallest piece of the rod) and presented it to the players after they returned from their adventures in the Spire of Long Shadows. She claims that she stumbled onto it during a robbery, and after being attacked by some strange demons felt it would be safer with them. She hopes the players will take her into their group as an ally, and hunt down the other pieces of the Rod for her. Once they do, she plans on stealing it and taking it to her master, hopefully becoming his right-hand demon.