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Hello Everyone,
My group have just chased Ilthane off, she has been sent with tail firmly between hindlegs getting blasted by maximised and empowered lightning bolts. I believe she would fly back to her lair, feeling seriously outmatched by the group.
However, my PCs intend to blast her out of her lair or wherever she has gone. What would you do? I'm not too sure I'm keen to send the PCs into her lair at their present level. I'm not too sure whether to change the status of what's happening there either (I was intending a year's downtime between the 6th and 7th modules with the Age of Worms temporarily averted by the PCs at the Champion's Games).
What would you suggest?
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
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I have been anticipating that my group is going to kick some draconic butt shortly (they are just finishing the Champion's Games) and have been trying to script out Ilthane's tactics in the likely event that she is overmatched by my group. I think I am going to have her go to ground (so to speak) in the polluted waters of Diamond Lake itself! This way she can continue to harass the town and the party while being difficult to track and/or follow. I have even thought of populating the lake with some escaped alchemical golums that had been created by the Benazel the Alchemist of smelting house fame. My group has cohorts and followers in Diamond Lake as well, so even if Ilthane doesn't attack the party directly she can still cause pain and suffering by going after their home base, especially if they disappear into the Whispering Cairn shortly after "defeating" her.
Hope this helps.
KCB
I ran through the Ilthane battle quite recently and so I can speak to you of my experiences thus far.
The battle with Ilthane was less difficult than I had anticipated, although it was by no means a cake-walk. I advanced Ilthane to a mature adult black dragon (CR 15, accounting for her extra bonuses). My PCs were suprised by her and caught totally unprepared, but managed to slay her through the use of flamestrikes and a sword of wounding. Their most effective tactic was keeping her from making full attacks and using blink and incorporealness to negate many of her attacks.
After defeating her, they of course wanted to find and raid her lair. It can easily be found with the spell find the path. Depending on how soon they find her lair, I will either let them literally walk in and take the loot, or possibly they will arrive and be ambushed by Ilthane's brood. If they wait long enough, the event will unfold exactly as written in the module.
After liberating the Twisted Branch from the claws of Shukak (a draconic lizardfolk) and the vanquishing of the orc stronghold Xul Jarak (Sons of Gruumsh), Illthane (a huge mature adult black in my campaign) strikes Diamond Lake, shattering the garrison, Allustan's abode, and the PCs' homes, carrying off Allustan to both mock and draw in the PCs to dragon's swamp lair deep within the Lizard Marsh (in Faerun).
When the PCs return to Diamond Lake after their campaign against the lizardfolk/orc union (sparked by Illthane), they meet Valkus Dun and a retinue of soldiers out to hunt Illthane. They learn of Diamond Lake's destruction, and the PCs will either ride home to see to the devastation, or join Valkus and his men in their dragon hunt (a futile hunt indeed for armored soldiers on horseback).
PCs will eventually have to plunge back into the Lizard Marsh, and with the help of the Twisted Branch tribe, will seek out Illthane's lair, slay her draconic kobold and lizardfolk minions, and challenge her in her very treasure room. I'll be using the old-school Dragonlance module Dragons of Despair, replacing Khisanth/Onyx with Illthane, even replacing Raistlin with Allustan.
With Diamond Lake in ruins, Allustan suggests the PCs head north to Waterdeep, where Eiglos, a slayer squad of dopplegangers, and the Champion's Belt awaits.
Once Champion's Belt concludes, I'll be starting the Vampires of Waterdeep campaign arc, giving the PCs that avenue to pursue.
I'd also like to rearrange Expedition to Castle Ravenloft and make it Lashonna's abode, leaving the legend of Strahd to the players' imaginations.
Ilthane surprised and nearly routed my PCs at the beginning of TWC. The group manages barely to enter the cairn and decided to rout the caverns first in hope to find something to defeat the dragon later on.
They are now through the adventure with one task left: Ilthane.
Now, as the DM, I am a little bit unsure how to handle the dragon. Ilthane is much too clever just to wait outside and wait for a well prepared party to battle. So if you have any good suggestions how Ilthane might deal with this situation, any thoughts are welcome.
Actually I think about having Ilthane messing around with Diamond Lake again and holding some hostages or so...
Ilthane surprised and nearly routed my PCs at the beginning of TWC. The group manages barely to enter the cairn and decided to rout the caverns first in hope to find something to defeat the dragon later on.
They are now through the adventure with one task left: Ilthane.
Now, as the DM, I am a little bit unsure how to handle the dragon. Ilthane is much too clever just to wait outside and wait for a well prepared party to battle. So if you have any good suggestions how Ilthane might deal with this situation, any thoughts are welcome.
Actually I think about having Ilthane messing around with Diamond Lake again and holding some hostages or so...
Your idea with Diamond Lake is pretty good. It can be really disconcerting for the PCs to walk out of the Cairn and find everything eerily silent. Only when they get near the town should they have a clue of what's going on. Or even have Ilthane ambush the party at the mouth of the Cairn, bottle-necking them in.
I would let them go to the actual Lair. Its a good way for you to introduce Alhaster (their future kingdom, right?) If they do go to the Lair, just lower the EL a little bit.
SPOLIER SPOILER SPOILER
How Ilthane gets killed...
Well, Ilthane decided to wait outside the cairn on PCs and Alustan to return. She made herself comfortable at a distance of 100 yards in an underbrush and allowed herself a nap while her mass charmed reptiles functioned as her eyes and ears.
So everything the players noticed while examin the cairn entrance were a few lizards but they did not bring 1 and 1 together. The druid shaped into a bat and flew around outside and finally spotted the dragon well hidden in the bushes.
This was the moment when I put the Gargantuan Black Dragon Icon "mini" on the battlemap which in fact had the effect to totally demoralize the players .. he he ..
Now comes a longer discussion on how to prevent a fight but due to the lack of teleport spells they decided to negotiate using Wall of Forces to prevent hostile movements.
They offered the Rod of 7 Parts piece for a withdrawel and Ilthane agreed (of course with no intention to let them go without a fight). Then the group came up with the following idea: From TCB they still carried Bozahls trapped chest with them which they did not manage to open yet but of which they new that is was heavily trapped. (In fact it already had sucked in an unlucky rogue hireling.) So they successfully bluffed (thanks to the bards great bluff skill) Ilthane that the rod is inside that chest.
The instant Ilthane triumphantly grabs the chest with the intention to melt some PCs with her breahth weapon the very next second, roaring something like "you fools! now feel my wrath!" the magic of the chest instantly sucks the dragon inside.
I found that a very good and climatic ending for that module and Ilthane.
My Ilthane was a fairly simple creature. She jumped the party at the door to the Whispering Cairn but was quickly neutralized by a Qullblast spell. She flew off in defeat and the party set about sacking the True Tomb. It took them a few days in game time, and when they returned Diamond Lake was in even more ruins than before. Ilthane destroyed the mine that they had bought at a debtor's auction from Balabar Smenk, had killed Kullen (whom the PCs had supervising the mine), and had effectively obliterated the town.
The PCs killed her when they got out of the True Tomb, when she failed a save on a critical hit Greater Orb of Electricity. A ton of damage, plus falling damage to the stunned dragon, and the Psychic Warrior finished her off in melee.
By then, of course, diamand lake had a surviving poluation of about 100 people (not counting those who fled) and maybe 2 standing buildings.
So they successfully bluffed (thanks to the bards great bluff skill) Ilthane that the rod is inside that chest.
The instant Ilthane triumphantly grabs the chest with the intention to melt some PCs with her breahth weapon the very next second, roaring something like "you fools! now feel my wrath!" the magic of the chest instantly sucks the dragon inside.
I found that a very good and climatic ending for that module and Ilthane.
That's great! An ingenious method of ridding themselves of a pesky dragon using the tools available. Well worth the experience points I'd say. I bet the players felt good about themselves too. Thanks for sharing.