I'm just getting ready to start STAP and helping steer my players towards characters that I think will be the most fun. One thing I can't figure out is how a wizard can be played in this Adventure Path. Once the party leaves Sasserine, it seems like a wizard is going to have serious problems finding spells to scribe into his spellbook. Am I missing something? How did you you handle this in your game? (I searched the archives but didn't find much of use)
Putting arcane spellbooks/scrolls on the Isle of Dread just seems pretty far out-of-place for the native and ancient cultures.
-Brian
spellbooks would be out of place as treasure... but ancient Olman stone tablets could contain very old spells... So could Olman hieroglyphs located in some long lost jungle stronghold... my 2 cents.
same problem as for the "shopping"-conundrum. No real opportunity to research spells, no place to buy spells unless one starts a teleport-relay to "Sasserine". Being effectively stuck in or on the way to Farshore from level 5th/6th to 15th/16th is perhaps the one major oversight of the STAP.
Not to mention that at 15th level you mainly get the opportunity to shop in evil Scuttlecove - IMHO, not the place to bring a fortune to in trade. YMMV
I know you do get two free spells every time you level as it's assumed the PC wizard has been doing some studying between adventures, although you may have to hook the wizard up with a library for roleplay purposes. The local Witch Warder contact (whatever his name is) would be a good source for that.
I also recall something about being able to spend gold to research new spells (either pre-existing or creating a brand new one). I've honestly never done that or seen it done (since players tend to scribe scrolls from enemy spell books and the like), but it sounds like the perfect solution here. If I'm remembering it right.
I'm considering putting a wizard on one of the pirate ship that the PCs will face towards the end of SWW. After that, there's not much in HTBM, but the Yuan-ti who control the flesh golems in the climactic battle of ToD might be an option too. Not sure if they're sorcerers officially (don't have my books with me), but it's pretty easy to change around if necessary.
spellbooks would be out of place as treasure... but ancient Olman stone tablets could contain very old spells... So could Olman hieroglyphs located in some long lost jungle stronghold... my 2 cents.
How do you figure? The Isle of Dread has been visited by adventurers before. It would not be out of place to have some unfortunate Wizard's spell book "lying around" near some dino's who munched on him or picked up and carried home by a curious Olrangu. The Aboleths certainly have wizards so there is another location.
Finally, it is your world. Nothing says you have to follow the adventure word for word. Put in Moon-Eye The Crazy, an elf with a wizard shop on the beach of the Isle of Dread. Business has gone down since the last adventuring party came to the Isle, but he still teleports around to pick up supplies. He could be a former high level adventurer who just decided to stay and isn't opposed to selling some spells to a fellow wizard. This is just an example, but there are opportunities to not hamstring the wizards if you create them.
spellbooks would be out of place as treasure... but ancient Olman stone tablets could contain very old spells... So could Olman hieroglyphs located in some long lost jungle stronghold... my 2 cents.How do you figure? The Isle of Dread has been visited by adventurers before. It would not be out of place to have some unfortunate Wizard's spell book "lying around" near some dino's who munched on him or picked up and carried home by a curious Olrangu. The Aboleths certainly have wizards so there is another location.
Finally, it is your world. Nothing says you have to follow the adventure word for word. Put in Moon-Eye The Crazy, an elf with a wizard shop on the beach of the Isle of Dread. Business has gone down since the last adventuring party came to the Isle, but he still teleports around to pick up supplies. He could be a former high level adventurer who just decided to stay and isn't opposed to selling some spells to a fellow wizard. This is just an example, but there are opportunities to not hamstring the wizards if you create them.
** spoiler omitted **
I like your out look...... I agree, there is always a way, just make it happen...
Planning ahead. With a three month sea voyage there will be plenty of time to study as much as one can bring, so wizs can add spells to their spell book earlier then they actually cast them. They will know enough of the IofD (from Lavinia's studies) to know pickings will be slim. Witchwardens might lend stuff to members with the expectation that plenty of ancient Olman magics will be discovered.
If it is too late for that, a wizs spellbook could be found prior to reaching IofD (amedio jungle, side adventures near Sasserine, a ship in the mother of all, etc.) Or an original colonists was a wizard that died. His teenage apprentice never mastered most of the spells, instead focusing on spells helpful to the fledgling colony. In the warehouse an ethereal filcher might have been filching from other parts of the material plane. For flavor I would limit all the spells in such a book to one source (Stormwrack, PH, Complete Arcane, etc.). I would also let the player create the book if they gave my world an interesting 'historical' character for backdrop.
Also, Greyhawk Method, a regional feat in one of the older Dragon magazines (I think it's the "campaign classics" issue with Strahd on the cover). It allows you to learn four spells per level instead of two. In general, I'd say drop arcane scrolls into the treasure liberally, and just make sure a lot of them are of spells your wizard doesn't have. The ships in the sargasso thingy, the various dungeons on the Isle of Dread, the Crimson Fleet lair treasury are all good places. I'd be willing to bet Farshore has a mid-level wizard who is a representative of the Witchwardens, too--maybe 12th level. You can always arrange his death if you don't want him around during the Crimson Fleet attack. At higher levels, well mercanes are perfect for this purpose, and who knows, maybe the big I can be conned into letting someone peek into her spellbooks, in exchange for certain favors . . .
well, the problem is not changing the adventure to make it possible - it just seems a curious oversight in the planning of the campaign
And as for spellbooks "lying" around as treasure in the jungle - judging from what happens to a paperback left outside overnight in european conditions (summer), I guess one would have to be a divination specialist to gleam anything from the moulded and rotten pages of an organic-materials book left in the jungle for any amount of time =)
I almost included that in my original post, but did not want to ramble. O:) but... Complete Arcane lists some alternative spellbooks that might withstand the humidity of a tropical jungle. Olman stones and carved bones were mentioned above. Tiles, tattoos, skins, cured wood, glass, etched copper, rune stones can all be used as a 'scroll' or spellbook. Coffers, sea chests, urns, scrolltubes, glass cases, oiled skins, were all used to ward off humidity and could even give the rogue a few chances to stretch her lock-picking limbs and at the very least add a little flavor. Bags of holding and 'magic' also work.
My personal favorite would be for the party to discover a rope climbing out of sight somewhere in the jungle. When following the rope they discover it disappears into thin air. Tugging on the rope has no effect, but climbing the rope leads to the discovery of three skeletons. Two gnome skeletons are inside the ribcage of the third, a giant anaconda. See also Leomund's various spells (and be careful to not put an extra-dimensional space so close to a tree next time. :)
Creative Director
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If your group includes a wizard or wizards, you should absolutely customize the treasure found in Tides of Dread to include more scrolls and spellbooks. Likewise, if you have a fighter who's spending all his feats on fighting with kukris, you should throw in a few magic kukris now and then. Especially since Savage Tide pulls away from the "post-adventure shopping trip at Magic-Mart" syndrom that's become fairly commonplace in 3rd Edition adventures.
Alternately, I'd also suggest increasing the automatic spells learned by wizards when they level up to be four per level. or even better, four per level plus their Intelligence modifier. Does this unbalance the wizard? Absolutely not. In campaign-style play, the wizard's dependance on down time in order to do what he does makes him the WORST choice, so increasing the number of spells he automaticaly learns only makes the class more viable in this style of play.
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As others have indicated, sounds like you're either going to have to make more spells available in the treasure found, or give the wizard ongoing access to spells to study over time so he "learns" them as he levels up.
On somewhat of a tangent - I had considered this as well for the wizard in my group. I wish I knew just how Malcanthet's (or Shami-Amourae's) role overall is going to play out in this AP. We'll just have to wait until the end to see how it all comes together. They're both involved behind the scenes. One cool possibility might be to have either one make contact with the wizard and act as their tutor. This could be as apparent or disguised as you wish. Perhaps they come to the wizard in disguise, maybe the wizard enters into a pact he hadn't fully bargained for, sees strange mystical runes in his dreams and awakens with knowledge he shouldn't have, etc. It could give Malcanthet an even more direct route to manipulate the wizard (and the entire party) to her own ends. Just an idea.
...Especially since Savage Tide pulls away from the "post-adventure shopping trip at Magic-Mart" syndrom that's become fairly commonplace in 3rd Edition adventures.
I detect a tone of displeasure about this aspect of 3E.
Have to admit, it gets a bit nonsensical at times and stretches the realism of the fantasy. I mean, where's the factory churning out all this stuff?
Anyway, sorry for thread-jacking.
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Creative Director
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If you want to tie in one of the big bads from the end of the Savage Tide to be a hidden patron, Iggwilv actually makes more sense, as she's an actual wizard. Malcanthet and Shami, being succubi (and thus Charisma-based creatures) would bake better hidden patrons for bards or sorcerers.
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If you want to tie in one of the big bads from the end of the Savage Tide to be a hidden patron, Iggwilv actually makes more sense, as she's an actual wizard. Malcanthet and Shami, being succubi (and thus Charisma-based creatures) would bake better hidden patrons for bards or sorcerers.
Eh ...rules schmules
Actually, Iggwilv would be a far better choice for wizards. Hmmm...and I like the idea of her coming in the form of something else, and the party not knowing it's her until the end. Maybe, good ol' Iggy comes disguised as an angelic being (since the party is opposing a demon prince) and the party will think they are getting help/reliable info. from the good guys.
MMMWWWUUAHAHAHAHA
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well, the problem is not changing the adventure to make it possible - it just seems a curious oversight in the planning of the campaign
And as for spellbooks "lying" around as treasure in the jungle - judging from what happens to a paperback left outside overnight in european conditions (summer), I guess one would have to be a divination specialist to gleam anything from the moulded and rotten pages of an organic-materials book left in the jungle for any amount of time =)
What sane spellcaster doesn't go through the minimal effort required to magically protect their spellbooks? Unguent of Timelessness is CHEAP, man!
Another shortcut is to allow the Wizard to have their complement of level X spells already recorded in their spellbook (probably from their first master), but either be unable to make the higher level magic work until they have the experience to do so, or missing a vital component that they have to research (a Spellcraft check to unlock each spell).
I have been customizing treasure, but scrolls and spellbooks are the most difficult due to thier fragile nature.
I like the idea of upping the automatic spells/level. I will take my wizard character aside and offer him two choices: either an automatic 4 new spells/level or a feat to allow INT modifier to the base 2 spells/level.
We always considered the rules for researching new spells a method for creating *new and unique* spells. It had not even crossed my mind that you could use those rules to duplicate existing spells. Also, I will halve the cost of researching new necromatic spells on the island, considering the zombie culture.
When I started the STAP, I didn't realize the lack of opponent wizards. For anyone still pre-SWW, you may want to give the PC a warning to buy scrolls. If they have a contact in the Witchwardens or the Seekers, this would be the best place to get that advice.
Thanks all for the good ideas!
What sane spellcaster doesn't go through the minimal effort required to magically protect their spellbooks? Unguent of Timelessness is CHEAP, man!
Dinosaur's stomach acids are mean, last I heard - not to start musing about the appetites of ants and other vermins, birds shredding the book for nesting material, fungus growing from the lime and leather cover, mud staining the pages, clogging the book, metal clasps oxidizing.... although we are talking "heroic fantasy" here, lets keep the suspension of disbelief at as minimal a load as possible, shall we *eg*
And yes, I never liked campaigns that looked too much like a Larry Elmore coverYMMV.
And, it really would not have hurt the STAP's athmosphere too much to include some ancient "spellbooks" - engravings on wall, a stained glass window depicting exsoteric runes, etched gems, some mystical skull set with metallic letters.... The aboleth city really screams for some oddball arcanery IMHO-.... and something like that would have been a memorable treasure besides any practical value.
BTW the wizard in our campaign chose to engrave his spellbook on (by now dinosaurs') thigh bones - rattles a bit, but far more sturdy and durable.... and they come in handy as emergency clubs =)
Ok, he admittedly _is_ a creepy guy