I picked up issue #136 yesterday and had a chance to browse through "The Coming Storm." Wow, what an awesome adventure. The backstory is mythic and mysterious without being cliche, and the creatures are exotic and challenging. I love the flavor of this piece, and I'm definitely going to try to find a way to use it in my campaign. I mean, it has kamadans. How cool is that?
Consider this a giant "kudos" to Greg Vaughan and the Dungeon staff.
I would have to commend the artwork and the cartography on this adventure as well. The kamadan picture is beautiful (really shows it off as an exotic jungle-dwelling magical beast) and the map of the temple is very nice. Greg always writes good to great adventures and this is no exception.
I concur, I hope Dungeon will be so kind as to please print more of his adventures.
It's a weird little adventure, but it looks like fun. I hope to use it myself someday.
My Pcs are just finishing red hand of doom and should be about the right level. One is an Air Genasai Wizardess worshipping Akadi, and one is a WindWalker, priest of Shaundakul, so they fit with the Air theme. I had originally planned on sending them into a Gathering of Winds at some point, hence my pushing the Air Theme, and then on into the rest of AoW, but I am going to run this first and have them actually take over and re-establish the Temple in the mountains near Elsir vale. Icosiel's tomb will be connected via portal to said temple. I.e. they seek to become modern day Wind Dukes!
I also want to chime in and say this adventure rocks! I really dig everything about it...the way the plotline allows for a really ancient feel to the temple without it being "just another set of lost ruins" is so cool. The baddies are delicious too. I like the scorned template and its backstory a lot, it smacks of Gemmellesque epic fantasy. The Coming Storm, most cool.
I also want to chime in and say this adventure rocks! I really dig everything about it...the way the plotline allows for a really ancient feel to the temple without it being "just another set of lost ruins" is so cool. The baddies are delicious too. I like the scorned template and its backstory a lot, it smacks of Gemmellesque epic fantasy. The Coming Storm, most cool.
Nicholas, was the "Gemmellesque" reference referring to David Gemmell?
I was going to pick up the issue this weekend anyways, but now I'm even more hyped about it!
(On that note, I really can't wait until I move at the end of the month and can get my subscriptions going, save me all those trips to the FLGS to pick up magazines... and dice, I just can't walk out of a gaming store without more dice, or another mini that I probably won't ever paint)
I also want to chime in and say this adventure rocks! I really dig everything about it...the way the plotline allows for a really ancient feel to the temple without it being "just another set of lost ruins" is so cool. The baddies are delicious too. I like the scorned template and its backstory a lot, it smacks of Gemmellesque epic fantasy. The Coming Storm, most cool.
Nicholas, was the "Gemmellesque" reference referring to David Gemmell?
I was going to pick up the issue this weekend anyways, but now I'm even more hyped about it!
(On that note, I really can't wait until I move at the end of the month and can get my subscriptions going, save me all those trips to the FLGS to pick up magazines... and dice, I just can't walk out of a gaming store without more dice, or another mini that I probably won't ever paint)
I was indeed referring to David Gemmell. I love his novels almost as much as I love R.R. Martin. The Coming Storm has a real "otherworldly ancient threat" motif that reminds me of several of Gemmell's works. I highly recommend it...and as a matter of fact all adventures by Greg.
I also want to chime in and say this adventure rocks! I really dig everything about it...the way the plotline allows for a really ancient feel to the temple without it being "just another set of lost ruins" is so cool. The baddies are delicious too. I like the scorned template and its backstory a lot, it smacks of Gemmellesque epic fantasy. The Coming Storm, most cool.
Nicholas, was the "Gemmellesque" reference referring to David Gemmell?
I was going to pick up the issue this weekend anyways, but now I'm even more hyped about it!
(On that note, I really can't wait until I move at the end of the month and can get my subscriptions going, save me all those trips to the FLGS to pick up magazines... and dice, I just can't walk out of a gaming store without more dice, or another mini that I probably won't ever paint)
I was indeed referring to David Gemmell. I love his novels almost as much as I love R.R. Martin. The Coming Storm has a real "otherworldly ancient threat" motif that reminds me of several of Gemmell's works. I highly recommend it...and as a matter of fact all adventures by Greg.
Well, I would have picked up the issue anyways, but an adventure from a writer that consistently puts out adventures that I like, that also evokes one of my favorite fantasy authors... well, that is a no-brainer for which adventure to read first ;-)
Oh no...you go away for a spot of climbing for a week and all hell breaks loose whilst your gone...
I concur, I hope Dungeon will be so kind as to please print more of his adventures.
Arrrrrrrr!
I'm never going on holiday again.
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Arrrrrrrr!I'm never going on holiday again.
Chain him to his word processor until there's a 12-issue spanning Styes AP!
Hey, Mr. Pett, I hear they're working on a Mur campaign book (ha ha...just kidding...it takes subtle manipulations to keep these authors motivated).All jokes aside, really liked the Coming Storm of awesomeness.
And the splash page art, with the cleric of Wee-jas with the glowing rune in the icy blue shadows, really gorgeous coloring job.
I was indeed referring to David Gemmell. I love his novels almost as much as I love R.R. Martin. The Coming Storm has a real "otherworldly ancient threat" motif that reminds me of several of Gemmell's works. I highly recommend it...and as a matter of fact all adventures by Greg.
Hmm, now I'm going to have to go out and find something by this Gemmell fellow. I was going to say that I could easily see Conan thrust into the ancient temple, trapped beyond time. Something about it just has the right "feel" to me.
Homigod!!!
Schmoe! You have to read Gemmell...soooooo gooooood. His books get awfully formulaic after a spell, but the formula is soooooooo gooood. Read Waylander, one of my faves. And Legend is just frackin awesome.
Oh no...you go away for a spot of climbing for a week and all hell breaks loose whilst your gone...
You think this is bad...
Check the "Sequels" thread. I knew you were gone and I pressed the advantage...MMMMUUUUHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
Homigod!!!
Schmoe! You have to read Gemmell...soooooo gooooood. His books get awfully formulaic after a spell, but the formula is soooooooo gooood. Read Waylander, one of my faves. And Legend is just frackin awesome.
Sweet! That clinches it. As soon as I finish the Dark Tower series, I'm heading to the land of Gemmell!
Sweet! That clinches it. As soon as I finish the Dark Tower series, I'm heading to the land of Gemmell!Homigod!!!
Schmoe! You have to read Gemmell...soooooo gooooood. His books get awfully formulaic after a spell, but the formula is soooooooo gooood. Read Waylander, one of my faves. And Legend is just frackin awesome.
1. Legend is probably the best book to start with, because a lot of the mythology of his world revolves around Druss and ideas introduced in Legend. Although Waylander and Sword in the Storm are good introductory ones too.
2. I picked up the issue today. Great Adventure.
Yes, but he isn't allowed to watch the new Dr Who as it's too scary for him:)
Logue is like 12 years old and is more well read than me, too.
Then I get nasty e-mails from Pett and realize I must come and defend my honor.
But you only get emails from me...
Huzzah!
...Yes, Gemmellesque was exactly what I was going for....okay I'd never read him either. Dang it, Logue is like 12 years old and is more well read than me, too...
I think the exact novel that Nicholas was referring to was "The swords of Night and Day", which is one of David Gemmell's latest. It too had a temple with weird mutated creatures, locked away from the rest of the world and time itself... no cool cursed barbarian nomads though :-)
Excellent scenario. I was thinking of sticking it in my SCAP game as a side adventure, maybe taking the place of Jarl Khurok's (sp?) Keep and making the BBG Jarl himself.
Any thoughts on this? Any reason it wouldn't work?
This one was sure alot of fun and Erik let me really stretch the canon a little with the Mur stuff. There's some more Muranni monsters floating around out there somehwere that may show up in a bestiary some day somewhere.
I'm not very familiar with Greyhawk, so what is the official canon regarding Mur? I have the LGG, but was only able to find a couple of references.
Is Jiba, the advanced girallon at area 14, really supposed to have 6 claw attacks rather than the girallon 4?
So my players are fighting the girallons outside of Jiba's chambers when Jiba makes his impressive apperance. The rending girallons had done a number on my party already, the apperance of a giant, 6-armed girallon made a couple of them wet their pants.
DM: The giant girallon moves out the door and swipes at you, (rolling dice), hit, take 19 points of damage!
PC1: Oh no, I'm toast.
PC2: Um, DM?
DM: Yes?
PC2: The giant ape is 15x15 right?
DM: Yes (quietly, knowing I'm about to get hosed somehow).
PC2: He can't fit throw his door.
DM: Crap.
PC1: Yeah!
Is Jiba really supposed to be in a room he can't leave? My players poked him at range while he broke down the wall and then finished him off once he was out.
So my players are fighting the girallons outside of Jiba's chambers when Jiba makes his impressive apperance. The rending girallons had done a number on my party already, the apperance of a giant, 6-armed girallon made a couple of them wet their pants.
DM: The giant girallon moves out the door and swipes at you, (rolling dice), hit, take 19 points of damage!
PC1: Oh no, I'm toast.
PC2: Um, DM?
DM: Yes?
PC2: The giant ape is 15x15 right?
DM: Yes (quietly, knowing I'm about to get hosed somehow).
PC2: He can't fit throw his door.
DM: Crap.
PC1: Yeah!Is Jiba really supposed to be in a room he can't leave? My players poked him at range while he broke down the wall and then finished him off once he was out.
Interesting. I don't have the magazine available, so I don't know how big the door is, but there is an option for "squeezing" through narrow spaces. It costs double movement, you lose Dex to AC, and there may be a couple of additional penalties, but Jiba shouldn't have needed to break down the wall!
Edit: Found the relevant text from the SRD
Squeezing
In some cases, you may have to squeeze into or through an area that isn’t as wide as the space you take up. You can squeeze through or into a space that is at least half as wide as your normal space. Each move into or through a narrow space counts as if it were 2 squares, and while squeezed in a narrow space you take a -4 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty to AC.
When a Large creature (which normally takes up four squares) squeezes into a space that’s one square wide, the creature’s miniature figure occupies two squares, centered on the line between the two squares. For a bigger creature, center the creature likewise in the area it squeezes into.
A creature can squeeze past an opponent while moving but it can’t end its movement in an occupied square.
To squeeze through or into a space less than half your space’s width, you must use the Escape Artist skill. You can’t attack while using Escape Artist to squeeze through or into a narrow space, you take a -4 penalty to AC, and you lose any Dexterity bonus to AC.
The adventure doesn't say, but I assume the door is the standard 5' door. You can only squeeze to half your size. Since Jiba is 15', he can't squeeze through the door. To get through a space less than half your size is an escape artist check DC30. Jiba can't make that.
Oh yes, Greg knows all the rules on squeezing... Trust me. in his home game, I'm stuck with a large half ogre who has been dragged into a tower comprised of halways only 4 feet 11 inches wide. Oh, and all the walls are apperently trapped if I touch them...
ASEO out
>> ...Lastly, he usually goes in and out through the roof.
Dang. Didn't think of that in the heat of battle. Ah well, hopefully this tip will let someone else play Jiba as the true horror he is. In my world, he went out with a whimper.
Though I got even with that assasin vine.
Speaking off which, I guess I need to increase the ELs for some encounters for one overly-mouthy player in my campaign.
Ohh oh oh, does that mean when we complete an EL 12 encounter I get the Ex for an EL 15 encounter. Wow, that is awfully nice of you.
ASEO out
Their are 16 scorned warhorses in the adventure. Are ALL of them supposed to have Horseshoes of the Zephyr? 16 x 6000gp = 72,000gp seems like a lot.
(Obah-blessed clay golem in the twisting corrisor reduces the party ranger to goo. Foolishly, stood and fought rather than running.)
Okay, I have a question maybe you can help me with, wonderful adventure first off. * Ahem* can you tell me how much it would be to purchase a Kamadan, our group took on Rattle as a follower.
Yes, that's exactly what I mean. In fact, you might want to bring a blank character sheet just help you write down all those extra XPs you'll be getting.
Yeah, he killed my character... "Woooah, Natural twenty...You’d have been able to see it if I hadn’t rolled it behind my screen. Let me roll to confirm here behind my screen...Oh my, a 19. Lets see, he was power attacking with a magical wounding spear, you take 134 points of damage, taking you to -13...I guess you died."
That wasn't so bad, but then he started to do his flailing "Victory" dance and then he completed the ritual by biting the head of the miniature representing my character and spitting it into a small fiery brazier that he had managed to light behind his DM screen.
I don't think even True Resurrection can fix that ;-)
ASEO out
Better than getting sandwiched all the way to -47 by the roof trap. (Did I mention that 6 arm column killing the party ranger as well?)
Silly adventurers, if you don't have a rogue, you shouldn't all be walking into a room at the same time.