I inherited the DM duties of our ST campaign, which is set in Eberron. One of the characters is playing a halfling druid/scout, and since it's Eberron, he chose to get a glidewing (pterodactyl) as his companion/mount. While on the ocean, he served as the party's main scout/ranged fighter.
Once the ship crashed into the Isle of Dread, and the players were facing a ten-day march to Farshore, he asked why he couldn't fly there, leaving the party behind, to get a boat to come rescue them. I had the gnome expert on the Isle tell him many predators on the Isle were much more dangerous that what he was used ton on the Talenta Plains, and going alone would be tantamount to suicide.
Being rash (character flaw), he was raring to go, confident he was fast enough to outrun anything thrown at him. In the back of my mind, I was prepared to show him what the Isle has to offer, if he went... particularly the naties waiting halfway through the module. But he relented, saying he'd stick with the party since flying away would "break the module".
So my question is, what can be done to take into account flight on the Isle of Dread? His mount allows him to theoretically skirt across the Island in a day (though he'd get caught in the interior, the same way the players will). It just provides some different problems, both travel-wise and encounter-wise, and I'm looking to head off any future problems.
EDIT: And yes, he already wants a horrid T-Rex as an animal companion. That's a whole other headache I have to worry about later.
Creative Director
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"Here There Be Monsters" really doesn't work if the PCs have a way for them all to fly. If that's the case with your party, feel free to have the flying PCs wing their way down to Farshore, but make sure to roll for random encounters. In fact, I'd almost say it's cool to fudge the rolls; you don't want the introduction to the isle to give the idea that the place isn't full of dread, after all. One encounter with a vrock later, flight might not seem like the best idea.
If you know going in that your group has strong flight capability, I'd actually recommend skipping "Monsters" entirely. Allow the group to reach Farshore with no real incident, run the pirate attack, and then have Fogmire be one of the mini-quests the PCs have to undertake during "Tides of Dread."
One pack of hungry Pterodactyls that spot the flying character should end the flying problem.
The main danger about flying is that you are very easy to spot. Maybe his pet pterodactyl encounter others of his kind and refuse to listen to his master – mating season oblige!
Here's a thought. Have the pterodactyl get really scared of something and land, refusing to fly further, the character should get quite a fright if his pet is sick with fear and he has no idea what caused it.
Or have a bar igura teleport up to see what is going on, then rip the pterodactyl's wing off, cackling. The others see where he lands and the journey into fogmire becomes a rescue mission.
Gargoyle hunters are enough of a credibe threat to be a concern for a flying character, and would be a simple and effective deterrent without necessarily killing the PC.
I would advise you to let the character fly for a while, though, so the first option decommisions the mount temporarily. You handle your game with a deft touch, from the look of your post. Adapt the module to your players, not the players to the module.
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Ive learned that splitting up the party is a good way to die. But really I dont think that letting the dude fly his mount to get help is breaking the module. There is more than enough threats to make his life difficult, other flying bad dinosaurs, vrocks, gargoyles (Booyah!). In the meantime you can lay the beat down on the rest of the party while they wait to be rescued.
Also, dont forget that if he was to go get a rowboat... hes gonna have to row that boat all the way back to the PC's location. There are a lot of BIG nasty things that live under the water around the isle... Dragon turtle anyone???
As for multiple PC's with fly capabilities...there are also all the NPC's that survived... they cant carry all the NPC's and themselves. if they can... increase the number of survivor NPC's.
(though he'd get caught in the interior, the same way the players will
I don't want to spoiler too much, but I think the main encounter area in HTBM mentions what happens to flying creatures near there. Have him take Tavey's place (like he could avoid it if he winds up there alone), and delay the timeline until the rest of the party arrives.
Meta-game, he'll learn an important lesson about splitting up the party.
Besides him having to fly over "hostile" terrain, making him highly visible (as pointed out) for some airborne predators, and hogging the spotlight which might lean to boredom or party tension, I would run with James Jacob's recommendation.
Skip the adventure, make it part of a lesser quest laters... the characters are certainly going to feel the experience they missed in this adventure when faced with the assault on Farshore and the other quests later on.
Or just add some wyverns or Drakes (from teh draconimicon) to the islands fauna and have him deal with those - it might just curtail his activities some with regard to COBI. Scouting overflights there are just a pain....
I'm glad someone brought this up. Running this in Spelljammer means a lot of people are going to be flying. I'll have to alter the random encounter tables.
Just now checked the thread, the day before our next session. I did have several crafty ideas in mind, including a swarm of gargoyles running the halfing to ground inland, only to have him wind up "stuck" as the players are halfway through. The rest of the party will catch up eventually.
My big concern is presenting it in a way that doesn't make it feel like I'm railroading. After all, the character's choices were a legitimate option, and have proven very helpful to the crew's survival; who am I to punish him for his decision to make a very mobile (and effective) character?
James' suggestion to skip the mod entirely was one I hadn't considered, but maybe should have. I can say that so far, the player's proven instrumental in keeping people alive, such as spotting the monstrous centipede attack before they could munch one or two NPC's. If anything, his choices are making me reconsider how the players will approach any given situation, and that's making me a better DM, I think.
Now I have to go back and review my rules for combat in three dimensions, again. They're facing the gargoyles probably first thing when we start. Giving them some longbows, entropic warding spells, and weighted nets should prove pretty handy in making the player reconsider going it on his own. :)
I fully expect my players to have to drag their whole crew and passengers through "monsters" - not just the five main NPCs. While they can potentially fly there themselves (I use recharge magic, which is great for such things), they won't be able to carry everyone along.
And the reefs makes a naval rescue impractical.
If they really go for the air/naval route, then I will run Foghaven later.
In fact, between this other issues of Dungeon, their first time on the Isle of Dread is going to be extremely busy!
I believe instead of the terror bird attack (the ones that come to claim the dead t-rex carcas), I'll have either the gargoyles or a flock of wyvren come looking for dinner. I did have the wyvren flyover the ship every once in a while during the journey, just to put the PC's in an uneasy state of mind...
I will describe it "hundreds of wyvren flying high overhead, and a few decide to fly down and investigate the smell of meat... then a few more... then a couple more... until they get they idea that the skies are not friendly on the Isle.
Too harsh? Obvious railroad? Whatcha think?
I believe instead of the terror bird attack (the ones that come to claim the dead t-rex carcas), I'll have either the gargoyles or a flock of wyvren come looking for dinner. I did have the wyvren flyover the ship every once in a while during the journey, just to put the PC's in an uneasy state of mind...
I will describe it "hundreds of wyvren flying high overhead, and a few decide to fly down and investigate the smell of meat... then a few more... then a couple more... until they get they idea that the skies are not friendly on the Isle.
Too harsh? Obvious railroad? Whatcha think?
hmmm - that might for one just make them a bit paranoid about venturing out into the open - where the flocks of wyverns could spot them - cross a lake in a boat ? Venture over a flat plain or a hip-deep mire ? Somehow that doesn't sound wise if the sky is full of wyverns
Besides, it does also pose a big problem with the feasibility of "open air" colonies on the isle, like Farshore (why hasn't everyone been eaten yet ?) or the pirate-base, the lizardmen camps etc etc etc. Livestock, inhabitants and even crops would have to be sheltered from the airborne threat.
Also, if there are dozens or even hundreds of hungry airborne predators - what the H*** do they feed on regularly ? Wyverns are horse-sized and bigger beings - (bigger than any land-bound carnivorous predator on Earth) imagine their food-intake and supply needed.... There would be hardly any wildlife left on the isle - and probably the surrounding waters either
I think most players would feel a) like being railroaded, b) would have difficulty with the picture of the isle you are painting. Sounds like a bad idea if you are not planning to end the campaign soon.
If, however, said wyverns occupy a certain area of the isle, it might just work. The Wyvern Cliffs? Wyverntop Rock? Wyverns' Cove? I particularly like the last one as a place to build a secret base for the Sea Wyvern.
It seems like everything on the Isle is part of one big survival-of-the-fittest food chain; anything smaller than you, gets eaten. I think there's enough monsters on the island to go around; who knows, maybe the players see an injured or starving allosaur get run into the open, and the wyverns take him to pieces like so many seagulls. That'd keep me in the trees for a loooong time.
Besides, it does also pose a big problem with the feasibility of "open air" colonies on the isle, like Farshore (why hasn't everyone been eaten yet ?) or the pirate-base, the lizardmen camps etc etc etc. Livestock, inhabitants and even crops would have to be sheltered from the airborne threat.
Also, if there are dozens or even hundreds of hungry airborne predators - what the H*** do they feed on regularly ? Wyverns are horse-sized and bigger beings - (bigger than any land-bound carnivorous predator on Earth) imagine their food-intake and supply needed.... There would be hardly any wildlife left on the isle - and probably the surrounding waters either
Arent there Already numerous airborne predators on the isle? Dinosaurs are the first that come to mind...Gargoyles... It is an island FULL of predators, both airborn and land based.
I like the above idea of making a "Wyvren Habitat." It seems that most of the creatures on the isle stick to their own "areas" (the gargoyle tribes come to mind). I believe I will craft Wyvren Cove... with numerous sea caves inhabited by a multitude of Wyvrens. The prowl the beach looking for carrion and sea creatures to eat. Perhaps I will not use hundreds as I previously stated... maybe 20-30?
Thanks for the input guys...
I don't see all that many predators - besides the one "gargoyle-canyon" scene, Gargoyles never get mentioned again... yeah, they do actually appear on the encounter table....but in all honesty, these are not airborne hunters.. they don't even need food ! And their favourite tactic is attacking from a perching position, posing as statuary..... urban or civilized ruins monster, but not a jungle predator... Anyway a monstrous humanoid with the "earth) subtype flying about is just..... an awkward concept ?
Pteranodons, as far as I recall, are sea-shore hunters, so one should not really encounter them anywhere but along the coast - perhaps roaming inland for some miles. Then again, feel free to use the Jurassic Park 3 mode
Otherwise groups can (according to the encounter tables ) meet a solitary roc, Wyverns (1D6 - I wonder why, maybe a CR thing ?) and hippogriffs. I wouldn't count vrocks, since they are not really part of nature's food-chain... A solitary roc (there is likely only one in the area-...) and perhaps a handful of wyverns /encounter. That seems an accurate estimate of the numbers. I would imagine that a wyvern needs approximately one sheep/large goat/anteope/dog per day as nourishment... with hundreds of wyverns about, where are the herds they feed on ?
your right... hundreds of wyvren is too many... but a flock of 30 is more reasonable.
If you know going in that your group has strong flight capability, I'd actually recommend skipping "Monsters" entirely. Allow the group to reach Farshore with no real incident, run the pirate attack, and then have Fogmire be one of the mini-quests the PCs have to undertake during "Tides of Dread."
A possibility... but they are 7th level.. they will get TOTALLY stomped in the pirate attack if they don't gain 2 levels first... won't they? Or, you'd have to totally rewrite all the creature stats for the pirate Attack, reducing their CR.
My group arrived and are now on the beach. We play next Friday... so I've got some time to work on this. The mage can cast fly... and the druid took levels in master of many forms and can now change into large creatures, which, of course, means large "flying" creatures. I can almost guarantee that they will (a) want to use one of the row boats from the Wyvern to row down the coast, or (b) they will have the mage and the druid fly to farshore for help, or (c) attempt to fly everyone there themselves. There are 4 named NPC's and 8 un-named NPC crew members that survived the attack... plus 3 non-flying PC's. That makes 15 people that would need to be flown over...
I still think Ariel predators are the way to go, and maybe forshadow Emragg the glutton in the nearby coastal waters to disuade rowboats???
Any other ideas guys?
I still think Ariel predators are the way to go, and maybe forshadow Emragg the glutton in the nearby coastal waters to disuade rowboats???
Any other ideas guys?
as for ideas to keep them ground-bound.
First-Off : "Weather"
Either have the storm come back some (having tured around and re-assualting the isle with heavy deluge and high winds. Flying in heavy rain and low-hanging clouds definitely falls under the heading of "insensible". Not even to mention orientation/navigation when there is hardly any sight, and what can they navugate by if they fly up over the clouds ? The volcano's peak may be around 4000'-5000' high, and that's it... easily topped off with clouds in a major storm.
No sight means the druidhas no way to know where to go. And sitting out on the beach, exposed does not really seem like a good idea in a storm anyway - mudslides, high waves, Lightning strikes into soggy ground (or metal carrying characters )........
Disadvantage : Player may huddle, and the "Sea Wyvern" might not reasonably survive it.
Alternatively go "Heavy fog" - Disorientation ensues, and also give opportunity for creepy scenes and strange noises in the jungle. It will need to be a very severe cloudbank to last all the way until they are inland. Might also hamper the "gargoyle" encounter.
Second choice : Up the pressure. Make the landing beach uncomfortable to stay at. Send in some investigative monsters from the sea, leaving the PCs enough time to run for it (say a Chuul or something - Monstrous Crab ? swarms of Crabs ? Pteranodons harassing them and flying off with equipment (nice and shiny weapons perhaps ?) ) - and makes them reconsider striking up camp anywhere near the beach. If the druidic flyer cannot really find them, or has to leave the rescue boat in a dangerous situation once he comes back, his entire plan is a "no-go"
Third choice - have the "apes" strike early... funny noises from the nearby jungle while the PCs plan, plus perhaps some horrific signs or stick figures... Have the demons throw some bloody skull from the jungle..... this might help the group develop the notion that it is unwise to linger in the area ( no need to tell them that the areas they are walking too are even worse...).
Fourth choice - have Avner (or another NPC) provoke them into marching inland. Depending upon their attitude towards the NPCs, this might embolden them(or infuriate them, when he taunts them for some "beach-hugging wanna-bees". Have him offer to lead the expedition into the jungle just to spite them....
Fifth choice : "scared by the Roc".... have the Roc (80' wingspan anyone ? That is almost a Boeing- 737 , and perhaps you might want to advance it HD some to drive home the point ) drop in, snatch the poor horse of Avner's ( assuming it is still alive ), or perhaps some hapless NPC.... or whatever you feel will convince them that THIS is not a safe area to fly in or make camp for the moment. Side effect - this will make the dinosaur-flyer a bit nervous about going airborne...
In another campaign, I used a Roc dropping a giant turtle - to crack open it's shell - as a warning sign to the players as the "huge" sized tutle struck ground 20' from them (e.g. a tank gets airdropped sans parachute right beside you.... made THEM move..... )
Wow lots of good stuff there Ugazi, thanks! I think I might have a Roc fly in and snatch one of the attacking Wyverns and fly off with his meal. LoL
Well we ran the first session of HtbM last night...all the planning, all the scheeming...and my players don't even mention FLYING LOL!!! Urol draws up his overland route, and off they skip merrirly into the jungle...LoL
I did have them see about 20 Wyverns come out of some sea caves nearby where they were camped for the night...But they didn't engage, just flew around in the night hunting giant bats...
OH well! At least I was prepared... and chance favors the prepared mind! ;)
Regarding this flying issue, not about HTBM, but later on in the AP, James:
** spoiler omitted **
I had them drink the potions to provide them with better mobility, since they move like crap on land. My players still got a few of them, but not enough for everyone to fly to Taboo Island.
You could also have had the gargoyle attack take place when say the gnome got too close to the jungle or something.
However I'm curious about another element related to this: what about flying characters (mounted or otherwise) in the rest of the adventures on the Isle of Dread?