RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Hi everybody...
I'm currently running Three Faces of Evil (Yeah, we only started last November...), and the group is now ready to tackle the final temple in 3FoE, the Temple of Vecna. We have the following Group.
Human Fighter 4
Human Druid 5
Human Cleric of Kord 5
Grey Elf Wizard 3 / Cleric of Bahamut 2
Grey Elf Ranger 4
Tiefling Rogue 4 (ECL 5)
Now, as you can see, the group is pretty big and should be able to get through the Temple with little trouble. I'm considering one thing, though:
The Tiefling Rogue is an aspiring Assassin is a Vecna worshipped, and thus, the Labyrinth should be wide open and devoid of anything but a protracted chase and kill for her. This somehow seems like a waste of good playing time, and makes the whole maze a lot less interesting.
On the one hand, this makes me think that maybe, i should just remove the "Auto Reveal" from the Secret Doors. She can still open them as a free action, but Vecna, being the nasty god of secrets, just does not give away the position of these doors. On the other, it seems as if this is one chance for the character to reap a tangible benefit from the interesting backstory, as well as invite some interesting intra-party roleplay (just why does she know that...)
Your take on this?
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Had a long post typed up, but somehow, the board ate it :(
Here is the gist of things: I've got a Vecnite PC in the party. Shoudl i remove the "Auto reveal" from the secret doors in the Vecna temple? It seems a bit of a letdown, but on the other hand, doing so robs the character of a chance to shine.
I think removing the 'auto reveal' aspect but still allowing them to open the doors as a free action once they spot one is a good compromise. Especially if any other character that spots a door can't open them themselves. That's a good solution, I think.
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On the one hand, this makes me think that maybe, i should just remove the "Auto Reveal" from the Secret Doors. She can still open them as a free action, but Vecna, being the nasty god of secrets, just does not give away the position of these doors. On the other, it seems as if this is one chance for the character to reap a tangible benefit from the interesting backstory, as well as invite some interesting intra-party roleplay (just why does she know that...)
Your take on this?
Definitely reward the player for a well developed backstory.
You still have the opportunity for the party roleplayed interaction as the tiefling rogue finds/opens secret doors with ease. Turn off the "auto-locate" function but give the rogue a real bonus to the Search checks (+2, even +4). Someone should notice the ease of passage with a Spot or even a Sense Motive check which gives that player the opportunity to question the rogue.
For effect, I had sibilant whispers heard by the PCs while in the labyrinth for my game. When they would be discussing their plans, I would be as distracting as possible with this noise. Playing some '70's era Tangerine Dream works too! They could only escape this noise in the rooms of the labyrinth. A benefit to the tiefling is that it doesn't hear the whispering. Perhaps it hears something more appropriate for its career path...perhaps urgings to slay the priest of Bahamut or to aid those beyond the maze. I had such whispers being heard by the true neutral half-orc wizard in the party. The voice was offering arcane knowledge and power to the PC. It worked enough that the player's running gag was "I ready an action to convert to Vecna" up until the Faceless One sent a lightning bolt through him.
Having a Vecna worshiper in the PC party is an opportunity to add some DM flourishes to the written adventure...have fun with it!
Reward the player for the backstory but not in an obvious way. Don't just announce in front of everyone - "You are aware of a secret doorway on your left". Instead, slide that player a note or set up some non-verbal communication device that allows the player (but not his/her fellow players) to know exactly what's going on. Then the PC has a chance to decide how to handle the situation and how much to reveal to his/her copatriots. Either way, it won't take long for the players/PCs to figure something is amiss. Let them question the tiefling and let that character defend itself appropriately.
Oh, heavens no! Don't change a thing! It adds so much to the whole thing. If you're worried about the difficulty, remember that the Kenku aren't exactly dumb. Focus more on the Mimicry abilities and maybe add a little magical darkness to make light an issue. Light doesn't bend around corners, so keep track of who has a light source. The poor rogue may end up inadvertantly leading the party to a massacre by slipping through some dark hall, calling "Hey, this way..." only they hear that same voice echoing through the whole place. Even if the battle isn't so deadly, it will be noteworthy. Besides, you can always make things a bit harder with the wizards on the other side to compensate.
Happy Hunting!
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I added a bit of a twist, seeing this portion of the adventure as being a bit on the easy side, (the labyrinth that is). So I added a simple element of magical darkness, eminating from the ancient stone walls that defied any light or vision outside 30 feet. Then I provided a no "drawing on" playing mat for the players, I kept track of movement of the party and the kenku. They were given paper as their characters might use to track movement. That lasted about four turns and let me tell you they were freaked out. Then add the voice replicationof the kenku, (no-one could speak aloud, unless they were next to each other), those who wanted to shout to be heard had to pass me notes. Within minutes they weren't sure if the party members who had gotten split up were down the hall or in another dungeon. Every intersection led to an ambush from the kenku who kept slipping just out of sight, having memorized thet labyrinth. Crying out for help or telling the split up group not to go that way. It is the cream of the crop for the 3FOE for my group. A little work and it was worth it!
although the character is a worshipper of vecna the labrynth shouldnt be any different for her. remember that in the information on the ebon triad it states that these worshippers are an offshoot of the normal region and that true worshipers of the various three religions involved are disgusted and distrustfull of threre bretheren who are trying to worship an abomination. If anything the whispers of vecna could help the assasin to take out this misguided cult and keep the worship of vecna pure and true.
I would let the ability stand. My group and I found the labyrinth to be particularly time-consuming and not much fun. It took forever to draw out the map, inch by inch, as they discovered more of it. They mopped the floor with the kenkus, although the dire weasels were memorable. Anything that gets you throught the maze and into temple area of the Faceless One would have been a good thing for us.