Hi,
I've been thinking about chaning BWG somewhat. My players are due to start it when we next play but they are already at level 4 and so If I ran it as is, they'd be out when we start SWW. So, I was thinking of getting rid of the second half (The action back in Sasserine and Vanderboren manor) and replacing the exploration of the cove with a mission from the dawn council/church of whirling fury.
Outline: A certain Colonel who commanded the garrison of a fortification/prison overlooking the river going into sasserine has defected and led his men and prisoners upriver to an old Amedio Temple in the Jungle. Divinations have revealed that there is a certain amount of demonic activity in that area and so the PCs are sent up river to "terminate his command, with extreme predjudice" (Yes, I know that it is a blatant take from Apocalyspe now, but hey, whats wrong with a homage to such a fantastic movie). However, when they arrive, they find that there is chaos as all the soldiers have been transformed into savage creatures. Colonel Marlon is a crazed half-fiend cultist of Demogorgon who had aquired a shadow pearl from a strange glass urn filled with strange green liquid in the temple and who planned to unleash it in Sasserine. However, in the process of extracting it, it cracked and a savage tide was unleased upon the cult, all of whom are now savage creatures. The exception is one Harliss Jarvell, a pirate who was imprisoned in Marlon's prison and who was brought to the temple, probably for sacrifice. When the character arrive, she has escaped and is fighting savage monsters.
Marlon is in the sacrifical room at the top of the temple surrounded by his bodyguard of fiendish soldiers (not sure if templates will stack or not, if not then they aren't affected), trying fervently to break into the second urn (shaped as baboon heads), however, when the PCs arrive after fighting through savage soldiers and some demons the strange liquid from the first urn can be seen running through grooves into the statues in the alcoves around the room as well as a big statue of Demogorgon. This causes them to animate. a three way battle then ensues with everybody fighting everybody else. (Yes I know, theres another movie reference)
In the end, should they succeed, the PCs return to sasserine as saviours of the city providing big affiliation bumps and a ship, the Sea Wyvern.
Any thoughts?
Warmage 101
Be careful about adding too many Savage Creatures, my PCs are complaining about the fact that the DR5/magic makes half the party (the ones without magic weapons or an abundant load of spell slots) feel useless. If all your party has magic weapons it won't be so much of an issue.
Although with a load of Savage creatures there is a high chance that everyone will get the savage plague and they aren't the level to cast Remove Disease.
Once three fifths of my party had savage plague after just two savage pirate encounters they were all set for returning to Sasserine to get cured, because there was a high chance that they would die from it if they rested there. The saves weren't bad it's just there were so many of them, so eventually even the folks with decent fortitude saves failed one.
The fighter lost six intelligence from the first infection, and another roll like that would have finished him off. The warmage lost all his 'Edge' ability from his failed save. The Barbarian faired a little better but if they needed to row or worse go over land back to Sasserine then it could easily turn into a TPK thanks to the savage plague. Unfortunately they hadn't pressed on far enough to discover the Lesser Restoration potions that might have helped. Thankfully all of them made their second saves after resting so hopefully they will make the next and shake of the disease without medical aid.
Oh and since the saves are Con and Hit Dice based be careful if you add any custom creatures with high Con and Hit Dice, as then there is a serious chance they won't be able to throw off the disease.
It's questionable if the Savage template really is just CR +1 when applied to low hit dice creatures, because....
a) It gives them effectively +10 hitpoints, which at high level is hardly here or there but a low level that's like an extra 2 hit dice.
b)It give a bite attack on death, so effectively an extra round of attacks at that level. On a high CR creature it's just one attack not a full attack, but on a low CR creature that one attack is it's full attack.
c) Give an acid splash to adjacent creatures on death, so effectively another free whirlwind attack almost.
d) Disease. With a very rapid onset, can easily make a Wizard useless one minute after the fight, and no way to help him at low level.
c) The DR not a problem at high level party but when the party is low level, it's like a bonus 10 to 15 hit points, due to the lack of magic attacks in the party.
e) Then the attribute bonuses, other immunities, natural armour, etc.
Certainly most of those things applied to a CR 8 creature are probably worth only CR +1 because most of them the party will be easily able to bypass when they are 8th level. But applied to a CR 1 or less creature it does seem to make them harder than CR 1 or 2 creatures.
Low CR creatures tend to have either high hit points, high AC or DR. Not all three and this template adds to all three.
Saying all that I'd love to throw a swarm of savage hamsters at a party.
And I did throw a Savage Shark at the party.
Unfortunately this means my campaign has already jumped the shark, as the Wizard used that swift movement spell to have one round of flying movement to get passed it to the beach.
Chupacabras! Muy mal.
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Sorry, my spanish is basically non existent. Deutsch, Ja, aber mein Spanish ist sehr schlect!
I can sort of gleen that you don't think much of it.
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Chupacabras! Muy mal.?
Sorry, my spanish is basically non existent. Deutsch, Ja, aber mein Spanish ist sehr schlect!
I can sort of gleen that you don't think much of it.
Oh, no. I was just saying, "chupacabras (a monster from Dragon, and a modernday legend like bigfoot) are very bad;" i.e. I think they'd fit right into the mix.
Cool. Which dragon issue are they in?
Oh, I'm also planning that when they land the Killing blow on Marlon (i.e. Kurtz), they'll see some remaining savage soldiers below will be sacrificing/feeding off a waterbuffalo as the colonel whispers "the horror, the horror"...
And of course, The End by the doors will be the adventures theme tune.
Tee hee!
I like the Colonel Kurtz/ Heart of Darkness // Apocalypse Now idea.
"I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like...like victory."
I love the smell of fireballs in the morning! (Or if your Vaarsuvius: "I Love the smell of bat guano in the morning. It smells like...like victory" Check it out:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0020.html )Hmm, I've got to come up with an equivilant of a vietnam air cav. captain for that to work...
Thanks for the support.
Warmage 101
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I can't recall what ish of Dragon had chupacabras, but I'll look at home today if someone doesn't swoop on in with the info.
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad is the work that Apocalypse Now was directly based on. It's heavy reading, but it's pretty short, maybe 80 pages or so. Good stuff; the Cav. officer was converted from a station head man or manager or something. The character was dressed in a perfect white suit, and you could tell that NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM WHATSOEVER. I think he has infinite action points is the point of this guy.
I can't recall what ish of Dragon had chupacabras, but I'll look at home today if someone doesn't swoop on in with the info.
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad is the work that Apocalypse Now was directly based on. It's heavy reading, but it's pretty short, maybe 80 pages or so. Good stuff; the Cav. officer was converted from a station head man or manager or something. The character was dressed in a perfect white suit, and you could tell that NOTHING BAD WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM WHATSOEVER. I think he has infinite action points is the point of this guy.
I know heart of darkness. I've read it, It's great! Conrad is a great author, and heart of Darkness was written in his third language (Polish, French then English)! His characterisation is fantastic.
Chupacabras are in Dragon 343 - the Creature Collection V article. CR 3 tropical blood drinking monstrous humanoids. A couple of them would be nice and flavorful... but adding the savage template might be a bit much. They're nasty enough already.
Chupacabras are in Dragon 343 - the Creature Collection V article. CR 3 tropical blood drinking monstrous humanoids. A couple of them would be nice and flavorful... but adding the savage template might be a bit much. They're nasty enough already.
I was going to suggest Chupacabras myself...oh well beat me too It. Yeah they're nasty enough without the savage template. Hey howz about a Chupacabra/Half-fiend(Bar-lgura)?
DAve
Chupacabras are in Dragon 343 - the Creature Collection V article. CR 3 tropical blood drinking monstrous humanoids. A couple of them would be nice and flavorful... but adding the savage template might be a bit much. They're nasty enough already.
In addition to The Colonel and the soldiers or instead of?
I was really going for the descent and degeneration of humanity into savagery...
Sounds cool though.
Warmage 101
Hmm, I've also found the low CR aspect of demogorgon (CR 9) on the WOTC website. Should I throw that at them for a bit of forshadowing or is that too powerful for 4th level characters even with (albeit indirect) help from animated objects et al. Can it be toned down a bit? Any pointers?
Thanks
Warmage 101
I probably wouldn't as they face an aspect of the Demogorgon later in the AP according to the preview, so fighting two and then the Demogorgon would seem a bit too repetitive if you ask me.
I probably wouldn't as they face an aspect of the Demogorgon later in the AP according to the preview, so fighting two and then the Demogorgon would seem a bit too repetitive if you ask me.
Cool, point taken.
Thanks