Going to be starting this chapter next week with my group. For those who have run it anything to be wary of?
Also one of the encounters is a sloth. But the sloth is not listed in the appendix. Where is this monster from? What about the glass guys? They are listed but I wanted to refer to the source they are from.
Thanks.
The glass guys are called Nerra, they're in the Fiend Folio.
Also one of the encounters is a sloth. But the sloth is not listed in the appendix. Where is this monster from?
If you look at the adventure, you will see that the creature is listed as a "Forest Sloth." If you look under F in the appendix, you will find its stats.
Also one of the encounters is a sloth. But the sloth is not listed in the appendix. Where is this monster from?If you look at the adventure, you will see that the creature is listed as a "Forest Sloth." If you look under F in the appendix, you will find its stats.
yeah, the appendix is funny that way. I remember having a lot of trouble finfing the Half-orc mercenary :-)
It depends on how well you introduced Alec Tercival, Maavu and possibly the rest of the chisel in previous chapters. If you didn't, take out some extra time to do so before you start the tax riot scene.
Alec's death at the end of the chapter can seem a bit contrived. Make sure you have a backup plan in case Alec doesn't die. The HC has some good tips there. Other than that... nothing especially worrysome afaict
It depends on how well you introduced Alec Tercival, Maavu and possibly the rest of the chisel in previous chapters. If you didn't, take out some extra time to do so before you start the tax riot scene.
Alec's death at the end of the chapter can seem a bit contrived. Make sure you have a backup plan in case Alec doesn't die. The HC has some good tips there. Other than that... nothing especially worrysome afaict
Thanks guys. I wrote Tercivel into the backstory of one my players (and he became a she) so I think that should be fine. At least one character will have a clear motivation to help.
Maavu has only been a background character at best. The only reason the characters know about him is from the umber-hulk attack. I also write up short histories for the magic items in Skie's and a lot of them are from Maavu. So thats the only other way.
Thanks.
Also one of the encounters is a sloth. But the sloth is not listed in the appendix. Where is this monster from?If you look at the adventure, you will see that the creature is listed as a "Forest Sloth." If you look under F in the appendix, you will find its stats.
Doh! Damn you alphabet!
Thanks :)
Beware Dugobras! He is a canny and powerful adversary. I think he could have had a TPK. Due to his alignment, I had him make a tatical retreat and called for parley. He was wounded, not bad, but had nothing to gain by risking his life (slight). I thought he would be happy crafting in peace. My group has not returned, but he could be used to harm or help them in future. The fey shouldn't be a problem, if your group uses fighters. Allow your group time to search for treasure, it's thin here. The effects of the fountain could help in the next chapter (the sun never sets in Occipitus).
You shouldn't have a problem kiling Alek, just have him charge. Good luck.
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This was a pretty memorable chapter for my players, though they managed to avoid dugobras for the most part(one of the players had held back after the others had jumped in the mirror and to give him a helping hand I eventually had dugobras come looking to see what happened to his men).
One of my PC's had been lifelong friends with Alec and I had him play a part in some of the early chapters to let them develope a repetoir for this chapter. The players leveled from the fight with Nablathorn(I gave them full Xp because it was a hard fight even though Nab fled rather then being defeated) and the PC, who had previously taken all of his levels as a fighter took up Alec's sword and took his next level as Paladin and apparently intends to finish off his character that way.
Good times all around.
My players actually saved Alek (or at least, used 'Last Breath' on him the round he was smeared), and it has made for a really uneasy relationship, as the fella who saved him was Callis, the CN Human Druid. They're sort of vaguely antipathic, but now there's this whole "saved life" thing between them. It's been fun to play.
I've basically set Alek at the Church of St. Cuthbert since, and now he's available for intelligence, to aid in the defense of the city, etc...
I'm looking forward to Foundation of Flame, actually, as I plan to make a "deck" of NPCs, and at each event, the PCs can make their checks to see if they get generic Cauldronites, or if they get named NPCs that they've met throughout the game. I really want to shine the light on the NPC relationships they've made throughout the episodes in that chapter... And now I can add Alek to that list. Indeed, I'm tempted to hold onto him until the Druid (potentially) gets seriously hurt, and have him save Callis, and even things out.
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My players are just outside Redgorge at the end of the session tonight. The tax riot scene was pretty fun, though most of them were taken a non-interference stance. Shensen did a lot of the work (though they did kill the Breathdrinker). A Sleet Storm was good at breaking up the crowd.
The Fire Elementals bothered me though. It was neat to use my new Huge Fire Elemental mini, but there was really no way to convey their purpose to the group. And that's a thing that bothers me about most of the AP (and quite frankly, a lot of dungeon adventures). There's a lot of great backstory information and they don't give you ways to let your players hear about it. And I'm afraid to give them too much lest it spoil something later on. So after I spent a good 5 minutes thinking of a reason for them to actually want to go to this inn that they'd never really even heard of before (and with them being relatively upper class probably wouldn't have really bothered with anyway). The Fire Elementals just seemed kinda like "LOOK! ANOTHER HARD ENCOUNTER WITH NO TREASURE!".
Now I'm off to turn the Chisel into the Order of the Chalice (of which Alek will be a part of) before tomorrow's game.
I really like the idea of the Order of the Chalice instead of the Chisel. Can you post what you came up with? That would be greatly appreciated.
Played Demonskar yesterday and a few questions came up during the game.
• Fire Resistance/damage reduction. Whilst fighting the huge fire elementals one of the clerics cast resist fire 10. Now I was under the impression that energy resistance is a total per round while the player thought it was total per attack. After looking it up it was still somewhat ambiguous so I went with the latter (per attack) since that’s how normal monster DR works (I believe anyway). Just to be consistent. So how does DR work, in particular for energy attacks? Rule citation would be great.
• When they made it to the starry mirror dungeon they were faced with the portcullis. They sent in a familiar invisible to scout who saw the giant crouched behind the balcony parapet waiting to throw rocks at the characters. So they blind him (glitterdust) and then attempt to lift the portcullis which has a lift DC of 37. They couldn’t do it (more due to bad rolls than anything else). I just wanted a clarification. Is the lift DC a single strength check aided by another or is it a combined strength check/DC? Basically does one character try and lift it and the others help using the aide another mechanism or do all the characters lift it adding their strength bonuses together to make the DC roll?
• When they failed to lift the portcullis they charmed to the giant – but his blind and the person who charmed him can’t speak giant. So I am happy for them to do pantomime to try and communicate with it but not sure what mechanics to use – bluff? Straight charisma? Perform check?
• While the giant is charmed I am sure they are going to ask it to open the gate – which I am happy to let them do but I would judge this to be “against his will/character” since he has been ordered to not let anyone in except Tercivil. So I would give him another check and the character needs to do an opposed charisma check. However they can’t talk to the giant at all – so was thinking to allow opposed charisma but with a significant penalty.
• The party also discovered the back door and they were going to ask the giant to open this door for them. Was going to use the same rule as above (whatever that maybe). But the giant is bound to be seen by other denizens…
• Assuming they get the giant to do exactly what they want – how would a charmed monster consider the character who cast the charm allies? Same as the charmed character? Just seems a bit much to get him to do so much against his will and then to extend that to the charmers allies…
Basically curious how other DM’s would handle it to give me ideas. Thanks in advance! What makes the situation even stranger to me is one of the characters is an orc who has 33 strength while raging and buffed. It would actually be easier for them to goto the back door and lift it out of the way then bother trying to lift the portcullis.
That doesn’t make sense to be honest. The portcullis has a lift DC why doesn’t the back door? Or the other way round – why doesn’t the portcullis have just a weight listed to lift it? Unless the portcullis is locked? If its locked it shouldn’t have a lift DC at all but just a break DC and a weight.
The Fire Elementals bothered me though. It was neat to use my new Huge Fire Elemental mini, but there was really no way to convey their purpose to the group. And that's a thing that bothers me about most of the AP (and quite frankly, a lot of dungeon adventures). There's a lot of great backstory information and they don't give you ways to let your players hear about it. And I'm afraid to give them too much lest it spoil something later on.
I am the same. I like to share the interesting stuff. So what I do is that when the campaign is over I reveal my hand and fill the players in on the whole story and answer any questions.
During the campaign if someone asks specifically about something that is done and dusted and has no bearing on the future of the campaign I also fill them in.
I think its more staisfying for everyone.
>> Fire Resistance/damage reduction.
"The subject gains energy resistance 10 against the energy type chosen, meaning that each time the creature is subjected to such damage". That "each time" sounds like each individual attack.
>> Basically does one character try and lift it and the others help using the aide another mechanism
Yes, I think so. Frequently an adventure will say "1 person can lift and upto x people can assist".
>> pantomime to try and communicate
Perform (acting) if they have it to reward a character who dumped points into an obscure skill. Otherwise Cha check. Seems pretty easy though to pantomine a "let me in".
>> While the giant is charmed I am sure they are going to ask it to open the gate, opposed charisma but with a significant penalty
I'd agree, that's against his will so he gets the check to break the charm. I wouldn't change the CHA check though due to the language - that happens first - trying to get your meaning across.
Letting them in the backdoor though, that seems like something he'd do for his good friends.
>> how would a charmed monster consider the character who cast the charm allies?
You mean, what would the giant think of the caster's allies? The giant considers only the caster his good friend, not the allies. I'd say letting them into the complex would be against his will and gets another CHA check to allow it. Kind of a "your parents are out of town, your friend calls and wants to bring over some friends of his" situation.
>> The portcullis has a lift DC why doesn’t the back door?
That seems wrong me to me. The backdoor should have a STR check to move it, not a flat weight.
Thanks for the advice Todd.
:)
Beware Dugobras! He is a canny and powerful adversary. I think he could have had a TPK. Due to his alignment, I had him make a tatical retreat and called for parley.
¿What can and can not explain Dugobras to the PC? Under an interrogatory/charm monster/etc. situation, ¿What could explain Dugobras about the cages, what is he doing there, or his involvement in the Ebon Triad (assuming he still wears an Ebon Triad amulet or any other reference to his faith)?.
Q. (Sorry for my bad english)
I'd use Dugobras to give the party whatever information they don't have yet. Use him as a way to forshadow coming events. At this point in the adventure, "cagewrights" is not a term that has been heard yet probably. I'd let it slip.
As I read it, Dugobras was a not a member of the Ebon Triad. He was simply hired by them to make the cage.
I'd spin it out as follows: Dugobras knows that the cage is for a ritual of some sort, but no idea what. He knows he made 13 of them altogether. He knows that the Ebon Triad was working for some group known as the Cagewrights and that the finished cages were delivered to them in Lertomoll.
I'd spin it out as follows: Dugobras knows that the cage is for a ritual of some sort, but no idea what. He knows he made 13 of them altogether. He knows that the Ebon Triad was working for some group known as the Cagewrights and that the finished cages were delivered to them in Lertomoll.
So how many people set it up for a RP session? Sounds like a good idea. But I expect my party will kill first, ask questions later. But you never know.
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I actually had a comment about the fire elementals in this chapter. I think its one of those things that will click with the players a bit later in the game and make them question some of their thoughts, at least if they are reminded of it.
In my campaign I had my players learn a few days after the attack that Maple(the halfling girl from the malachite hold) had died in the attack and they put together that there were probably other alleybashers there too. They came to the(correct) conclusion that the last laugh was likely taking out an opposing gang and some of the guards at the same time. It wasn't until later(They just raided wee jas last night and it was just a session or two ago that it hit them) that the last laugh seems to be working at least somewhat with the same people the guard is working with.
It has really left them in a state of paranoia about who the third faction is in town because they still find it hard to believe that the higher ups had the guards attacked themselves. It has led them to investigate a lot further into a number of matters I think they only would have touched on otherwise and has given me the opportunity to give some behind the scenes insight into a couple other things happening around town.
My players keep wondering who's summoning all these monsters. First was the Skulvyn in Flood Season, which at that level seemed like this unbeatable pain in the ass (it took them forever to deal with the DR), then it was the fiendish Umber Hulk, and finally the Fire Elementals.
They've got it in their head that there's a high level summoner of some sort behind things.
The Blue Duke showed up to help with the Fire Elementals and almost died (unconscious at the end of the fight). They know he's evil (a quick detect once the fight was over), and they figure he's part of the plot to take over Cauldron, but they figured their "high level summoner" was behind that particular plot, so now they're confused as to why all these things are being summoned if the people taking over Cauldron aren't behind it. They started suspect Maavu again.
But then they got to Redgorge and Maavu was cool. There was not plot to kill them, and he was actually helpful.
At this point whenever they're in "downtime" in Cauldron, they're waiting for some summoned monster to show up and wreak havoc. Kind of like Godzilla.