I've got a question for the other DM's who are either running D0 or preparing to run it.
In the beginning of the adventure, it is clearly mentioned that no one knows what rat-tail root looks like. However, when the PC's get to the witches hut, all it mentions is that the rat-tail root is hanging in the middle of the witches large collection of roots.
I'm not sure how the author intended the root to be spotted. But my PC's have picked up on the fact that no one knows what this root looks like. They're excited about discovering what this "legendary" and "mysterious" root looks like (those are their words for it - not mine).
Just having it hanging from the rafters in plain site is going to seem like a let down. Anyone got ideas for making it seem like they've actually made some sort of discovery or solved a mystery? I'd hate to disapoint them this soon into a new campaign.
I would go with a scaled skinny root...kinda like a carrot. For where, it did describe that it was pickled, so in a crockery jar with a black wax seal would work. You could have the jar buried in the floor of the hut somewheres - have them make a Search check to find disturbed earth.
Anyone got ideas for making it seem like they've actually made some sort of discovery or solved a mystery?
I didn't run into this problem when running D0, but here's a few ideas for you:
1) Maybe have some real rat-tails hanging from the rafters in Ulizmilla's hut along with numerous other roots...some of which kind of look like rat-tails, too. The heroes will quickly be faced with the dilemma of guessing which one is the real rat-tail root. Or, they may just have to grab all of them and hope Laurel can help them sort it out by using her grandmother's book back in Falcon's Hollow.
2) Maybe a rat-tail root actually refers to some kind of plant (perhaps growing in Ulizmilla's clearing) that only grows well when a seed is placed with an actual rat-tail...kind of like how Indians would grow crops more easily by placing dead fish with the seeds to fertilize them? Only, in this case, these particular plants can't grow at all unless you plant them with a rat's tail. So, the heroes will then need to find some sort of clue among Ulizmilla's belongings...scrolls, books, a diary, or other writings...to read up on what a rat-tail root is...and also where she might have kept some. If you don't want to make it a written clue, how about if you have the soulspeaker's last recorded message to be Ulizmilla's voice reminding herself to plant some more seeds and "don't forget to use the rat-tails as fertilizer this time"...? The heroes would then need to dig up her clearing in order to find the plants using the rat-tails as fertilizer and take one of those roots back to Laurel.
3) Maybe the rat-tail root actually belongs to a woodling rat? I believe woodlings appear in MM3. Essentially, it's a rat that would have bonded mystically with the natural woodlands so as to become wood-like. Hence, it's tail might truly resemble or be a root? Then, you've just got to keep Ulizmilla's former rat familiar around for the heroes to find...and you can say that it's now a woodling rat as a result of some experiment or backfired magic.
4) Maybe a rat-tail root is actually a topiary guardian (which is a template from MM3) in the shape of a rat? And, to claim their prize, the heroes will need to slay the guardian and snip one of its roots. Presumably, the topiary guardian is somewhere in Ulizmilla's clearing, tasked with guarding her home while she's gone.
5) Maybe rat-tail root actually results from a different kind of magical plant that propagates with sticky or burr-like seeds? Rats and other woodland creatures might carry these seeds around until they fall off and then grow a new plant. And perhaps these seeds grow into mobile plants which lose their roots once they're established well-enough to move off and become a menace (e.g., vegepygmie?...assassin vine?...shambling mound?...or any such derivative, really). In this manner, the "root" really only exists for the briefest amount of time between establishing the plant and being cast away to shrivel up. The heroes will then need to find a such a seed that has just started to grow...with just the first bit of root shooting forth from the seed. It's up to you how the witch's hut might have such a thing. But perhaps Ulizmilla found one and preserved it in one of her jars for study before it could finish growing?
My five-cents,
--Neil
Contributor
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They could find a book of herbs in the hut with pictures of the various entries. All they have to do is flip through it until they find the entry for the Rat Tail Root.
This is a great idea... the book could be a minor treasure, giving a +2 on knowledge nature checks to identify plants and profession herbalist checks. Laurel might want to buy it from the party.
EDIT: further to some other suggestions, perhaps rat tail root doesn't look at all like a rat tail, but the seeds are frequently eaten by rats, and then the plant grows from the rat droppings (many real world plant propagate in a similar manner).
Might the pickling jar simply be labeled? Finding one jar among many is still a search, especially if the label is old and handwritten by a crazy old witch.
Nspicer, I'm Impressed with your creative ideas. If you are not already an adventure writer, perhaps it's time to give it a try? :)
LOL...thanks!
Actually, I am a freelance adventure writer. Not for Paizo yet. But I've got a D&D adventure coming out from The Game Mechanics for their City Quarters line with maps by Chris West. It's a low-level urban adventure called "Houses of the Holy" set in the city's Temple Quarter with lots of political and religious-inspired intrigue. Should be lots of fun...
And, I've also got a couple of other freelance adventure writing projects in the works now as well. But these are with another local gaming company in my backyard. Before that, I did a few free adventures at fan-based websites for various games.
Regardless, thanks for the compliment. Maybe I'll be able to shoot something Paizo's way for the Game Mastery line or even Pathfinder someday. Now, if only we had submission guidelines... ;-)
--Neil
One of my players rolled a 1 on his Search check for it. Told him that he mistaken a real rat's tail for the herb (squeeek!)
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who chimed in on this thread - I knew I'd get some creative ideas if I posted about the problem.
For the solution, I'm actually going to use a combination of several ideas. The players will find several books and scrolls written by the witch in the cabin that serve as +2 bonus to all knowledge checks involving herbs.
The book will have some notes about the rat-tail root, but it will state very specificaly that it has to be pickled within several hours of being picked in order to work. It will also state that the root only grows in areas inhabited by the woodling rat. The bush is used by woodling rats as a nesting site, and it's the presence of the rats that gives the root it's mystic powers.
Fortunatly for the players, the witch has everything they need to pickle the roots in her herb collection. And the woods near the cabin happen to have a nest of woodling rats. And if they search the cabin, they will note that there is a crock buried in the dirt of the floor. It's a sealed crock of pickled rat-tail roots.
That way, the players have two possible solutions - either find the crock or fight a small nest of woodling rats so they can dig up a few roots and pickle them. Either way, that should give the PC's a sense of acomplishment - which is what I'm looking for. Thanks to everyone for the assistance.