James I have read through all the possible outcomes at the end of the AP, but It doesn't actually say what happens to the Big "D" If he triggers the Savage Tide? I was hoping to see new stats and an Illustration of the new and Improved Demogorgon. Actually In my version If he succeeds It will be bittersweet cause as he does I want Obox Ob to attack him, and as the Savage Tide sweeps over both of them they each meld Into the other creating a new King of Demons. Demogorgon thought It was bad with a twin brother hanging around all the time that will be nothing compared with the absolute madness of another entity merged Into It's being that he loathes and fears. Same goes for Obox Ob It will be no picnic merged with Monkeybone either! A powerful new demon boss but even more Insane and hateful as Arendagrost?
DAve
Creative Director
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I toyed with putting in a section that talks about "What happens if the PCs fail?" but in the end decided against it, in favor of including a more robust "How to continue the events of Savage Tide into a new, Epic campaign" section instead, something that we didn't really do well in the previous Adventure Paths but that our readers made clear that they wanted.
What happens in your campaign if Demogorgon wins is, of course, up to you. Your PCs likely won't be around to see it or help folks deal with it, though, since in all likelihood they're the first Demogorgon eats (if they aren't dead already). HOWEVER...
My take on what happens if the PCs fail, though, and what I would have included had I the room in that already packed issue:
If Demogorgon's plan to trigger the savage tide is not stopped, he drives nearly three dozen Material Plane cities into madness and ruin. Although this isn't the "end of the world," it certainly is the "end of civilization" as suddenly the smaller settlements of the world become the keepers of civilization. Savage creatures have short lifespans, and within a few weeks of the savage tide, most (if not all) of them have died to their own insanity, leaving behind empty cities. The task of repopulation becomes a race between the smaller towns and villages of the world and the monster races who no doubt lust for these once-grand locations. As for Demogorgon, his transformation into a one-headed demon lord doesn't quite catapult him into divinity... but it does make him the most powerful demon in the Abyss. He loses his dual action powers, but advances by 20 HD (according to the guidelines for advancing demon lords in Fiendish Codex I and Dragon #359). His gaze weapons merge into one combined gaze attack. He quickly gains command over several other layers like the Blood Shallows and Ilsidahur's Realm, then turns his attention to his enemies. Orcus and Graz'zt receive the brunt of his wrath, and are forced to contemplate an alliance between themselves simply to survive; Graz'zt's triple realm is sundered back to one plane, and Orcus retreats to Everlost and loses control over much of his layer as well. Malcanthet works feverishly to restore her status with Demogorgon, and is in large successful even if she's forced to abase herself before the new and more powerful lord and allow him greater influence over Shendilavri. Charon, ever inscrutable, retreats to the Styx and ignores the repurcussions. Gwynharwyf and the other eladrins withdraw even more fully from Abyssal matters, focusing instead on preventing incursions into their realm rather than taking the fight to the Abyss now and then. In a few hundred or thousand years, Demogorgon eventually assaults Obox-ob on Zionyn, but finds that the Prince of Vermin is more powerful than Demogorgon anticipated. The battle shakes the Abyss to its foundations, and when Demogorgon emerges, beaten, from the pit of Zionyn, he has reverted to his familiar two-headed incarnation. The cycle of power struggles on the Abyss returns to a stalemate once again. ALTERNATELY: Demogorgon could defeat Obox-ob, absorb his power, and become a godling.
Of course, in my version of the Abyss Obox-Ob is too busy being attacked by Ugudenk and Tharzax, both of whom have put aside their differences to depose and replace the Prince of Vermin. ;-)
I toyed with putting in a section that talks about "What happens if the PCs fail?" but in the end decided against it, in favor of including a more robust "How to continue the events of Savage Tide into a new, Epic campaign" section instead, something that we didn't really do well in the previous Adventure Paths but that our readers made clear that they wanted.
What happens in your campaign if Demogorgon wins is, of course, up to you. Your PCs likely won't be around to see it or help folks deal with it, though, since in all likelihood they're the first Demogorgon eats (if they aren't dead already). HOWEVER...
My take on what happens if the PCs fail, though, and what I would have included had I the room in that already packed issue:
If Demogorgon's plan to trigger the savage tide is not stopped, he drives nearly three dozen Material Plane cities into madness and ruin. Although this isn't the "end of the world," it certainly is the "end of civilization" as suddenly the smaller settlements of the world become the keepers of civilization. Savage creatures have short lifespans, and within a few weeks of the savage tide, most (if not all) of them have died to their own insanity, leaving behind empty cities. The task of repopulation becomes a race between the smaller towns and villages of the world and the monster races who no doubt lust for these once-grand locations. As for Demogorgon, his transformation into a one-headed demon lord doesn't quite catapult him into divinity... but it does make him the most powerful demon in the Abyss. He loses his dual action powers, but advances by 20 HD (according to the guidelines for advancing demon lords in Fiendish Codex I and Dragon #359). His gaze weapons merge into one combined gaze attack. He quickly gains command over several other layers like the Blood Shallows and Ilsidahur's Realm, then turns his attention to his enemies. Orcus and Graz'zt receive the brunt of his wrath, and are forced to contemplate an alliance between themselves simply to survive; Graz'zt's...
Awesome James that's exactly what I was talking about, I still think this outcome should have been Included as well? Doesn't matter the whole AP was just brilliant I loved It from beginning to end and I wish there were more, I was kinda hoping the next AP would Involve Lolth or Asmodeus. Oh well just have to make up my own now.
DAve|
Creative Director
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Awesome James that's exactly what I was talking about, I still think this outcome should have been Included as well? Doesn't matter the whole AP was just brilliant I loved It from beginning to end and I wish there were more, I was kinda hoping the next AP would Involve Lolth or Asmodeus. Oh well just have to make up my own now.
DAve
Perhaps. But there was no room. There's a lot more I would have included before this sidebar if we'd had room (additional maps for some of the battles, more information about Lemoriax, a map of Lemoriax, more information about the pre-battle meeting, a few more encounters along the way, and a larger role for Belcheresk the balor, for starters). It's just part of the reality of the magazine format; Pathfinder will have a lot more room (especially since there's no ads coming in, ESPECIALLY at the tail end of the cycle that force us to make last-minute cuts), and we should be able to include information there about what happens if the PCs fail to stop Karzoug AND what happens if they do and wish to keep on adventuring.
And Asmodeus is part of the Pathfinder world... so there's absolutely a chance that he'll be involved in an upcoming Pathfinder Adventure Path. Same with drow (although we can't use Lolth, I'm confident we can find someone as cool to replace her).
drow god/goddess.. letsee.. spiders and scorpions are done.
Snakes? Or some other nasty pests.. rats/centi/millipedes?
Guess a snakecult would go best.
Naked oiled drowess dancing with a snake... heeheheh :D
drow god/goddess.. letsee.. spiders and scorpions are done.
Snakes? Or some other nasty pests.. rats/centi/millipedes?Guess a snakecult would go best.
Naked oiled drowess dancing with a snake... heeheheh :D
Oh, a serpent-based drow gawddess-supreme ... now that will make for some rawr artwork down the road. She could also do double-duty for the yuan-ti as chief gawddess in the Pathfinder world as well. Would make her a more formidable diety, providing two 'built in' sources of worship not counting whispered utterances in hopes of dealing with various vipers and serpents.
Expanding on the serpent gawddess theme, she could even replace the less-than-stellar draconic pantheon as the sole Pathfinder draconic diety as well, especially given my suspicions that Tiamat and Bahamut would not be available via the SRD.
So, Miss Serpent Gawddess as-yet-to-be-named: Mother of Scales, Whisperer of the Forked Tongues, Mistress of Assassins, Matron of Transmutation. I rather like that ...