While awaiting sufficient players to start off the Savage Tide AP, I was thinking of what we could do in the interim with a much smaller group (3 players).
I had a thought to pregen up some Olman characters from Tanaroa and have a mission (perhaps the heroic party who places Taloc's Tear in ancient times) or something more simple like going to collect tar to repair fishing boats.
My hope is to accomplish two things: 1. familiarize myself with jungle adventuring more and 2. get the players interested in the story a bit more.
Has anyone worked anything up along these lines already?
Okay. Not Olman, I realize, but have you looked into Torrents of Dread back in #114? It had an adventure set in one of the Olman villages and includes Gary Holian's most excellent backdrop article on the Isle of Dread.
Just a little correction, Vaughan. ;) Happy to have helped.
Festivus, that's a very cool idea. I did something similar in one of my old campaigns. It was a foreshadowing of things that would happen almost a year later in the game in real time.
The PCs would eventually have to go deep beneath this alien city to discover the root of some very bad things happening in the world. We took a break from the campaign one week and I handed all of my players a pre gen PC that were part of a humanoid-ish adventuring party quite a bit higher level than the players' actual characters at the time.
They were given personality info on them and some basic backgrounds to help them role-play their temp characters. I told them that they had bought a map to a mysterious cave that was supposed to lead down into the earth to a vault full of treasure.
The vault was actually part of a gate chamber to an alien world out of a Lovecraft story. It was full of orc slaves and their illithid masters as was as the aliens that commanded the illithids. Long story short, some died, others were dominated and became slaves.
Months later, when we got to that cave with the party's real characters and at about the same level that their temps were, they all remembered that session and were pleasantly stoked.
Definitely give your idea a shot. Though it will take quite some time for the PCs to make the connection between then and now, it is quite worth the wait for the payoff.
Okay. Not Olman, I realize, but have you looked into Tides of Dread back in #114? It had an adventure set in one of the Olman villages and includes Gary Holian's most excellent backdrop article on the Isle of Dread.
Actually, it was while I was reading that very backdrop article when the idea popped into my head. :)
Ok, so I am down to two different ideas... not good when I have a game on Sunday, but I am commited and will pull this off.
1. Olman group charged with mission of taking Tlaloc's Tear as close to Golismora as possible (with the end result of the characters being the ones later seen in the Cerulean Curtain. This is my favorite direction at the moment but also likely the most complex to pull off in a short period of time. I might save this one for later and when we need a break from the Savage Tide story we run that tale... sort of an interlude.
2. Olman group charged with gathering tar to repair damaged fishing boats. In the process of doing this, we get a glimpse of the Isle of dread and even more, meet some strangely clothed people from another land. One named Larissa Vanderboren, who is always busy scribing in a book. This one should be far easier to setup and run quickly, and would end up being a rather heavy roleplay session that might be a nice way to start off the campaign.
I was thinking of doing these characters as fairly low level, say 3rd or so, with the understanding that if they see a Thunder Lizard the proper reaction is to run for your life as opposed to stand and fight, and not take a long time for the players to aclimate to the character and focus on the personalities.
I went with option 1, and set the story 1000 years ago (or whenever things went very wrong), right after the clerical prices attempted to destroy the pearl, instead causing the destruction of the city. The group of heros, all six the best of the best from the tribes, have gathered for their mission... to deliver Tlaloc's Tear as far into Golismora as possible.
I have crafted 6 personalities, using photos from various websites of amazon natives as inspiration and marked up their feelings about each other so the players should be able to jump right into character.
So what I need a little help with is what sorts of things they might encounter on the way down there. I don't want to use the same encounters found in the Lightless Depths because a) they will all die, and b) I don't want to spoil any surprises. I had thoughts of a few Rhagodessas, troglodyte slaves, and perhaps some korprus.
This is supposed to be a short adventure, I was thinking the roleplay of the meeting, and then heading down into the crater, swimming part of the way (it should be underwater).
My game is Sunday, I have some alternative encounters worked out already but if anyone has suggestions I am all ears.
hmm.. continuing with olmans might be in order if things went rather bad in that invasion ;)
We ran this tonight and it was rather fun. I included things like grappling encounters so that I could teach two new players about some advanced rules. It went pretty well with the prefab characters too. The barely survived long enough to trigger the tear, but the timing was perfect and we ended with the visual that thier diety looked upon them as the great defenders and were to spend eternity in the curtain.
Should be fun later when the real characters encounter this.
What types of PCs did you end up with?
What types of PCs did you end up with?
All of these were level 5 characters:
RONAK
Witch Doctor (Cleric)
Info: Ronak believes that only the strong should survive, and recognizes that the more he practices his combat maneuvers, the more powerful he becomes. He talks little, but when the situation demands it he speaks in a loud voice. His burden, as the bearer of a rare artifact that is to save his people, is to ensure that the mission is a success and the artifact is activated within Golismora. As the ranking priest, Ronak is given the responsibility as the leader of the expedition.
About others:
Sera – Feels that a true weapon is a spear or axe, not from range with a bow
Prina – Doesn’t want her on the mission but she is being asked to bring her along
Shulaar – Isn’t comfortable with his dark arts, but understands that these are deparate times and the extra help will be needed
Gootoo – Is big and strong, and easy to control thanks to his not being so smart, except when he gets angry, then he's very difficult to control.
Paka – his knowledge of the black pearl and other history may prove useful to the expedition.
---
SERA
Hunter (Fighter)
Info: Sera is always in pursuit of “the shot” – an impossible archery shot that will make her famous. She does not know what “the shot” will look like, but she knows it will one day be legendary. Sera is a bit of a tomboy, doing things the men might be doing.
About others:
Ronak – feels he’s not as strong as she is, and that his bark is larger than his bite
Prina – Wonders why she is on this expedition
Shulaar – is fine with his creatures as long as they stay out of her way
Gootoo – thinks he’s not smart enough to be tactically sound
Paka – wishes he wouldn’t play his music when she is trying to focus on the shot. Shuns his romantic advances.
PRINA
Shaman (Druid)
Info: Prina cares for all creatures of nature as if they were a sibling. She looks upon the uses of natural resources as gifts from the gods. She becomes particularly fierce defending anything of nature. Prina is also a bit of a prim, caring about her appearance even in the most dangerous of situations. Prina is also the second daughter of the tribal matriarch, and is second in line of succession.
About others:
Ronak – appreciates the job he has been assigned and supports him
Sera – thinks she wants to be a man
Shulaar – thinks he is grotesque
Gootoo – thinks of him as a big teddy bear
Paka –is attracted to him, but hasn’t told him yet
Shulaar
JuJu Zombie Master (Wizard)
Info: Shulaar feels that if he has to fight, it would be better for someone else to do the fighting for him. He has learned from tribal juju how to summon the undead to do his bidding. He is a bit of an egomanic, partly because he is shunned by many in the village because of his juju arts (considered evil by many in the village) -- Has summon undead instead of summon monster spells.
About Others:
Ronak – Feels he would be a better leader for the expedition
Sera – A fine archer that he holds in high regard
Prina – Wonders why she is even on this expedition
Gootoo – Good in a fight, but jokes too often for this serious matter.
Paka – Annoying little flea, he should pick up a weapon and fight.
Gootoo
Barbarian
Info: Gootoo is a bit of a joker/prankster. Always looking to see the lighter side of situations, and never angry at anyone else. However, his anger outlet comes in the form of combat against enemies as he rages. Gootoo is also a bit of a simpleton, a gentle giant.
About others:
Ronak – Gootoo think Ronak is right
Sera – Gootoo think Sera pretty
Prina – Gootoo think Prina pretty
Shulaar – Gootoo scared of Shulaar
Paka – Gootoo like Paka music, it sound pretty.
Paka
Loresinger (Bard)
Info: Paka seeks to act as the chronicler of this expedition. He has packed along several skins of dyes with which to paint the cave walls, as well as his flute which he plans to play as inspiration for the brave expedition. Paka, more than anyone else, knows that none are expected to return from this mission.
About others:
Ronak – Feels he doesn’t talk enough to be the leader of the expedition
Sera – has romantic interests in her
Prina – Wonders why she was selected to come on this expedition
Shulaar – Unsure of his motives and allegiances
Gootoo – He’s not too bright, but good in a fight
For encounters, I had the following:
Map: The Lost Temple (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mit/20040526golalternate)
Lizardman thrall with some stirges thrown in for annoyance. - Easy
Map: The Lost Temple (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mit/20040526golalternate)
4 Troglodyte thugs, 2 troglodyte barbarians and a troglodyte captain - Difficult
Map: Mushroom Caverns
3 Grick and a choker -- Shadow templated (remember, I was looking for instructional situations, and grapple and DR was something I wanted to cover) - Very Easy
Map: Temple of Blood
6 Abyssal Skulkers, 3 Aboleths, 1 Draegloth - Very Difficult
The Aboleths attempted to dominate the first ones to enter the room (the barbarian of course), after 3 rounds the abyssal skulkers came flowing out of a hole in the center of the room. After 6 rounds the Draegloth appeared and guarded the shrine where Tlaloc's Tear was supposed to be placed. If was fun, they barely won the fight and all died graciously when the tear was activated.
Last bit, really unedited notes of mine for how I ran the adventure, you can feel free to modify as you see fit. There are spoilers for the STAP in here I think, so don't read if you are not a DM running this.
Also, the Characters listed above were included with pictures for each character that I found by googling Amazon Indian photos... they were great inspiration for the personalities. For example, this was Shulaar:
http://www.uwlax.edu/biology/faculty/Gillis/Yagua%20Indian%20Chief.jpg
Adventure notes:
Olman pearl fishers returned early from their expeditions with the largest pearl they (or anyone) had ever seen. Unbeknownst to them, this was a cursed item crafted by the Koprus. They carried it into Thanaclan as a trophy sent from the gods. But once ensconced in the temple in the highest place of honor, it corrupted everything it touched. The god of the Olman promptly turned their gaze from these islands.
The curse’s effect surfaced slowly at first, but soon the calamities cascaded. Storms lashed the archipelago, crops failed, and the jungle encroached on productive land. Wild beasts ran rampant, including some unknown to Olman historians. The ground beneath the plateau began to tremble with increasing frequency and Thanaclan’s citizens began to flee the city to the safety of nearby isles.
The clerical princes were distraught. In a desperate effort to rid themselves of the vile pearl, the high priests attempted to cast it beyond the bounds of this world. But this final enchantment instead sealed their doom. The black pearl obsorbed their magic and oozed a soupy fog that poured forth from the plateau. The princes of Thanaclan summoned the last of their power in an attempt to destroy the pearl. The ensuing explosion rocked the plateau. The ground beneath the city erupted in massive geysers, swallowing the streets of the Thanaclan and sinking the city into a boiling lake. A doorway between worlds had been punctured, linking the island to Demogorgon’s Abyssal domain. Monsters from this nightmarish realm. Monsters from this nightmarish realm spilled out from the fogs that played across the face of the island, engulfing the survivors.
Over the ensuing months, throngs of enslaved warriors harassed the city and surrounding villages. In a last ditch effort to stem this tide, you adventurers have been selected to place a holy artifact, Tlaloc’s Tear within the underwater city of Golismora, where the rain gods wrath would drive from the aboleth city the one thing they need to survive, water. This is a suicide mission, but one which will live in Olman history forever.
Adventure Synopsis:
Thanaclan lies in ruins, the high priests attempt to dispel the magic of the black pearl had resulted in catastrophic explosions. The city itself sinking into a boiling lake, with only the temple in the expansionary period of the Olman race. It is a telling of how Tlaloc’s Tear was placed and activated. Recently priests discovered that the black pearl was crafted by strange creatures that live beneath the isle in sea caverns. The group is equipped with water breathing gear and dispatched to place this magical artifact and activate it.
The party members are selected heroic members of the community charged with a critical mission: to deliver an artifact known as Tlaloc’s Tear to the heart of the enemy city located beneath Thanaclan, Golismora. Once the party makes it there, they are to activate the tear and hopefully bring an end to this war of attrition between the Olman and the Aboleths.
The trip to Golismora will be a hazardous journey through the flooded underdark beneath the plateau. Along the way the party is harassed by various Aboleth thrall. Once they finally make it to Golismora, they activate Tlaloc’s Tear.
In the end, all the characters will die, this is intended. They will become trapped in the Cerulean Curtain created when Tlaloc’s Tear was activated