Well Ripclaw and the savage pirates ate the party a new one. They are terrified, and are basically fleeing for their life, back to Sasserine. Thing is, they barely got through the first two rooms.
Since this section of the adventure is hard to really return to, I am thinking this is appropriate. Harliss Javell manages to fight her way out of the caverns (along with a replacement character for a dead party member). She will beg passage on the ship, claiming she can sail them out safely.
She will reveal all that she might with a successful diplomacy check (I will assume that if the PC give her passage, she does them a good turn.) Then sometime in the night she will steal their smaller boat and get away from the party.
Will this work? Am I forgetting something?
I just don't like the idea of the PCs returning to Kraken Cove only to find Javell still fighting for her life, etc., etc.
Sadly this is one of the few places the party might runs into Savage creatures. Since it is the SAVAGE Tide I think it important. The Sea Wyvern found at the cove is also important for the rest of the campaign. Plus it is just fun (we start the Kraken's cove this weekend!).
Your idea is better than railroading, but I think it would be good to somehow get them back there. Perhaps Harliss also left (chasing that Vandeboren Pigsnot) and eventually decided the papers she is looking for are more important. Sending Deveoraz ahead, she goes back to the caves just a little before the party does. Knowing of the swimming entrance has allowed her to get to those papers without clearing the whole hole out. I am sure a better idea will hit me while I am laying awake in bed tonight as well as some other places for savage creatures and some more colorful epitaphs she can aim at Vanthus. :)
Well, they have discovered the broken pearl. They have a good idea that Vanthus caused that mess, and Harliss can fill her in on the rest. They have recovered the Wyvern, and have a fairly competent plan on how to get it out of there. Still, I get what you are saying....
Maybe Harliss can hint that there is something left in the caves that the just can't live without.
Still I just can't see how there will still be savage creatures there after the (at a minimum) 2 day round trip back to Sasserine. (They plan on picking up some magic items that they maybe should have got before Kracken's Cove.) I reckon they will have all eaten everything else up.
|
well, you could have them (those that can get out) start heading out into the world...eating and infecting lots of things.
savage parrots, monkeys, dolphins all sound pretty interesting to me.
then, they can get some Savage Creature experiences on the way back to Kraken's Cove, and get some much needed XP's as well.
of course, if they take too long, they may be seeing savage creatures turn up closer and closer to Sasserine, making it a little too close for comfort.
That should get them back to make sure the rest of them are dead.
Besides, if you are aware of them, and have plenty of alch fire, they go down easy enough.
-the hamster
(btw, having Harliss get away by boosting their launch, possibly still afflicted with Savage Fever, is an awesome idea. Perhaps a shopkeeper is found torn to shreds, with some missing inventory (Headband Int +4, anyone?) Then, they get to deal with that all over again later in the path.)
well, you could have them (those that can get out) start heading out into the world...eating and infecting lots of things.
savage parrots, monkeys, dolphins all sound pretty interesting to me.
then, they can get some Savage Creature experiences on the way back to Kraken's Cove, and get some much needed XP's as well.
of course, if they take too long, they may be seeing savage creatures turn up closer and closer to Sasserine, making it a little too close for comfort.
...
Yoink. 'specially the dolphins.
The first part of SWW they will be passing Blood Bay also and can encounter savage critters then. If the cove is the epicenter, they may encounter savage critters clear up
I'm loving the idea of Savage Parrots personally. Anybody given consideration to what a Swarm of Savage sparrows or Crows would be like?
I think I'll have to look into it. A Savage template Swarm of birds, nice!
Savage, two-headed parrot swarms ... lol. Yes, should a player group get thier lunch handed to them in Kraken's Cove, that Tide should spread and haunt them for some time to come. Mwahhahah!!
Here Turin
Savage Murder of Crows CR 3
CE Tiny Animal (Swarm, Chaotic)
Init: +6
Senses: Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60ft
Languages: N/A
AC: 16 Touch: 14 Flat-Footed: 14
Hp: 30 (4 HD) DR: 5/Magic
Immune: Disease, Exhaustion, Fatigue, Mind-affecting, Stunning, Pain-effects, Swarm immunities (Critical Hits, cannot be tripped/grappled,
Resist: Acid 10
Fort: +6 Ref: +6 Will: +3
Weakness: +50% damage if hit by Splash or area of effect spells.
Space: 10ft x 10ft/0ft reach
Spd: 20ft., Fly 40ft (Average)
Melee: Swarm (2d6)
Base Atk: +3 Grapple: N/A
Attack Options: Blinding (Ref DC 14), Distraction (Fort DC 14, Nauseated 1 Round), Disease (see below).
Str: 5 Dex: 15 Con: 14 Int: 1 Wis: 14 Cha: 6 App: N/A
SQ: Swarm Traits, Half Damage from Slashing and Piercing, Ferocity (always fights to the death without penalty), Afflicted (see Savage template), Death Throes (special: after dying, make one movement and swarm attack, afterwards, it dissolves into a 5ft radius pool of acid, 1d6 dam Rdc: 15/Half), Disease: Savage Fever (Fort DC 14/1 minute incubation, 1d6 Int damage/day)
Feats: Alertness, Improved Initiative
Skills: Listen +8, Spot +11
Possessions: None
I just don't like the idea of the PCs returning to Kraken Cove only to find Javell still fighting for her life, etc., etc.
My party just finished this part of the path tonight. They had spent a ton of time (in game) on it. For example, they spent hours making off with the Sea Wyvern to begin with, anchoring it out in the bay and then coming back on the launch to explore. After facing Ripclaw they retreated and spent a night on the Sea Wyvern getting healed up and getting new spells (like resist acid). So of course by the time they get back, Javell isn't still fighting. I had her finish off the savage pirates and make her way out of the caves (on the map in area K14 it clearly shows a tunnel leading off the page.... is that a back exit to the place perhaps ending in a trapdoor covered in jungle brush? I think so! She escapes the place easily. Alternatively she easily swims out) As it says in the adventure, she leaves behind a letter she was writing to the Fleet Commander. She describes what happened and forgets it in the room she makes her stand in. In my mind, I imagine that just as she finishes writing it, the savage pirates find her, she throws the table over, fights them, and forgets the letter in her addled/diseased state as she leaves the place. The party found the letter in that room.
I love the ideas posted here about the disease spreading through the jungle and approach the city if the party doesn't kill enough of the savage pirates etc. The savage flocks of birds is pretty cool too. In my mind this savage disease greatly reminds me of the movie "28 Days Later" and "28 Weeks Later" --- it could easily spread and wipe out cities or nations! An infected specimen could be brought back to the city and escape and soon you have a city full of savage humans! Clerics try to stop the spread but it spreads way too fast for their few cure disease spells per day (even if you had say 60 of such spells availabe in the city per day.. the disease could potentiall outspread it because of all the fighting and chaos and burning buildings, etc. Just check out your favorite zombie movies... like "28 Days Later", "Resident Evil", etc.)
I can easily see a chaotic evil cleric letting a comrade get infected and keep him from succumbing completely with restore spells until they get back to the city at which time he stops helping his erstwhile companion and uses him as a catalyst to spread destruction through the city! Unfortunately my characters aren't quite that evil. Even though they work for Rowyn....
If your party tends to require ministrations of clue bat, a somewhat addled Harliss could return with them to Sasserine ... only to succumb later in town and ... recruit, shall we say, most of the town in an orgy of savagery. The two shiploads trekking to Farshore would go from being a colonial expedition to the last survivors of Sasserine fleeing the carnage of the Savage Tide as it ravages the town they no longer call home ... The Isle of Dread offers thier last hope.
Meanwhile, the Tide spreads its hideous appetite in all directions...
After much contemplation, here's how I think I will play it out.
BACKGROUND: This is (pretty much) the same group that played the Age Of Worms AP. A few of the characters have backgrounds tying them to the AoW characters. One of the AoW characters is currently living near the Spire trying to ensure there is no eruption of more Kyuss yukiness. Two more of the "old" PCs are in town to visit their old friend, and join in the general celebrations for the Age of Worms festival.
Harliss emerges from Kraken Cove, and begs passage on the Sea Wyvern. They sail back to Sasserine, but before they get there Harliss absconds with their dinghy and all their potions of restoration. Harliss will definately show two faces to the group. Her better side and her savage side will be in obvious conflict throughout the trip (a litle foreshadowing). However, it is important to note, Harliss is not really a viable disese vector since she has not yet yet sucummed to Savage Fever (and therefore doesn't have the template, etc. etc.) Soon after her departure there will be a Savage Seagull Swarm attack (to emphasise the spread of the tide.) The gulls will be seen ripping into some rats - thus providing the disease vector needed.
Once back in Sasserine The festival will be set to go in 2 days. But in the meantime word will come out that the savage tide is beginning to affect Sasserine. The "old PC" cleric will be petitioned by the city, and he will try to solicit ideas on just what the heck is going on. Hopefully the PCs will come forward with what they know. With some divination the "old PC" can figure out the vector of the rats.
The old PC can then start to fix some of the PCs Boo-Boos. But in the meantime he needs them to stamp out a couple of the Savage Tide fires that have started in Sasserine while he goes to Kraken Cove to stop the spread there.
In this way the PCs can still fight Savage Creatures, but do so from the city, not a days sail away. I can explain away the Kraken Cove infestation, and the "old PC" can let them know that the delay of even one day turned the infestation into something that an epic character had a great deal of trouble fixing (foreshadowing the potential nastiness of the tide.)
I dunno. I think this may work. I am a little leery of using the "old PC" saw. But they have enjoyed the reappearance of the old PCs so far. And I think they might need some perspective on what exactly the savage tide means. So far they are just trying to pwn Vanthus (which is good), but I want to transition them into loftier goals, while not losing that Vanthus hatage.
|
|
If you deal with it the way you just outlined, I would think of what other creatures were infected between the cove and city? you have the Bullywugs, other swamp creatures jungle/forest creatures, as previously mentioned sharks/whales. the infection needs to be completely contained within an area until the aggressiveness of the savage creatures cause them to kill each other off, a day after the cleric leaves they can meet up with the other "old PCs" as they leave to help contain the spreading plague. one cleric can't be everywhere within a circle expanding in all directions
*Woot* got to use the savage parrot, DR magic made it look much tougher than it was. Also added savage sharks (should have been dolphins, oops...) visible from on overlooking cliff. The coolest part was when I 'let it slip' that the parrot was at -2. Then had it bite the monk anyway. Even better when I got to say you chop it in half, blood, feathers and scales flying everywhere. It bites you. Oh yeah now make a reflex save.
|
|
The coolest part was when I 'let it slip' that the parrot was at -2. Then had it bite the monk anyway. Even better when I got to say you chop it in half, blood, feathers and scales flying everywhere. It bites you. Oh yeah now make a reflex save.
HAHA I got a couple of these with the monkeys - the fighter spotted them before they jumped in on the PCs, and critically hit it - for max damage - while it was in the air before landing in the boat. needless to say the result was "You decapitate the hidiously deformed creature - the body turning into a reddish/greenish cloud, that sizzles as it hits the water. the head you bat at the monk, who it bites on the way by and then starts to dissolve into acid onto his robe (the dead monkey head got a critical hit)
edit: Milestone! this is post # 300 for me