During the last two game sessions, the PCs have been traversing the east coast of the Isle of Dread from the end of Dark Mountain Pass to the mountain pass that leads to the Fogmire. Olangru (that cheeky monkey!) has been playing his tricks on the party every night and/or day as suggested in the module and on these messageboards (thanks for the ideas!). After the first incident (the stone throne with skeleton that later disappears to be replaced by a monkey jawbone) the PCs were suitably creeped out. However, after a few of the subsequent tricks, the PCs came to the conclusion that the tricks were being perpetrated by none other than...
...the Phanatons!
I am not really sure how they came to this conclusion. Olangru has left a few messages scrawled in the dirt or in blood in Abyssal taunting the party, and the party druid (Child of Winter/Planar Shepherd - yes, we are playing in Eberron) even identified a lone footprint as belonging to a bar-lgura demon. Yet they are still certain that they are being stalked by the Phanatons! One player even theorized that the Phanatons have a mutant baboon's foot on a stick that they are using to leave the occassional track!
Today's session ended with the party stumbling into the Fogmire Ruins and seeing the strung-up zombie, which delivered its little speech. The suitable creep-out factor was attained. Boy, are they in for a surprise next session!
Thanks to the Paizo group for this wonderful Adventure Path!
Have fun with that! Olangru is a personal favorite BBEG for me. (Hat's off to Jason Bulmahn for another magnificent AP adventure/BBEG encounter that's more than the sum of its parts.)
If you can, play Olangru in the first encounter/ambush as almost reckless in his carelessness to provoke attacks of opportunity. The overwhelming confidence will likely set your players on edge even more, especially when he makes off with Urol.
Woof. As much as I seriously loved Olangru I hate him so much. He had the party suitably creeped out and jumping at shadows, they were worried about what could be stalking them. They were even more freaked out when he came to take Urol and they didn't scratch him. Then they didn't take the hint. They tried to take his entire lair in one run. Ignoring the cleric, they pushed on into the final room where the party kobold killed Urol, and Olangru finished the entire party without taking a hit. End campaign.
A few more skulls for the isle of dread, but it left a foul taste in my mouth.
Woof. As much as I seriously loved Olangru I hate him so much. He had the party suitably creeped out and jumping at shadows, they were worried about what could be stalking them. They were even more freaked out when he came to take Urol and they didn't scratch him. Then they didn't take the hint. They tried to take his entire lair in one run. Ignoring the cleric, they pushed on into the final room where the party kobold killed Urol, and Olangru finished the entire party without taking a hit. End campaign.
A few more skulls for the isle of dread, but it left a foul taste in my mouth.
My party did the same thing, heading out to save Urol the same night they were ambushed. I was kinda proud of them for being so heroic, but genuinely sure I would kill another character. (A couple lucky criticals from one of Olangru's mates got one in the ambush.)
Still, against all odds, they managed to beat him. Easily the most intense BBEG fight in the campaign so far. Let's hope Tides of Dread can live up to the standard!
Woof. As much as I seriously loved Olangru I hate him so much. He had the party suitably creeped out and jumping at shadows, they were worried about what could be stalking them. They were even more freaked out when he came to take Urol and they didn't scratch him. Then they didn't take the hint. They tried to take his entire lair in one run. Ignoring the cleric, they pushed on into the final room where the party kobold killed Urol, and Olangru finished the entire party without taking a hit. End campaign.
A few more skulls for the isle of dread, but it left a foul taste in my mouth.
Whoa, the campaign ended outright ? No second run at him ? That's always a bummer.
Whoa, the campaign ended outright ? No second run at him ? That's always a bummer.
Well, there had been a staggering amount of casualties, long before the Olangru TPK. The vary first rhagodessa killed two PCs. Which were Beerfested back in. There was a TPK in The Bullywug gambit. A PC died in the Sea Wyvern's wake, then another TPK to the monkey. We just decided to be done.
Honestly the casualties were very heavy in the campaign, which was quite the change from Age of Worms where all the deaths came when the PCs could afford resurrections and there were no TPKs. I like the campaign, but small mistakes meant a lot of death.
Whoa, the campaign ended outright ? No second run at him ? That's always a bummer.Well, there had been a staggering amount of casualties, long before the Olangru TPK. The vary first rhagodessa killed two PCs. Which were Beerfested back in. There was a TPK in The Bullywug gambit. A PC died in the Sea Wyvern's wake, then another TPK to the monkey. We just decided to be done.
Honestly the casualties were very heavy in the campaign, which was quite the change from Age of Worms where all the deaths came when the PCs could afford resurrections and there were no TPKs. I like the campaign, but small mistakes meant a lot of death.
Ouch. Yeah, two TPK's I can see being pretty disheartening on a group. If it is any consolation, my first session all but one character was eaten by deathbugs, then they were almost completely annihilated again beneath Parrot Island. No casualties since - but then, they've not gotten back into the main arc.
Good luck with what your group elects to do next!
Thanks, but I had to move away from my group recently to go to law school. I found a group here too, but I was less than thrilled and have instituted a hostile takeover of the DMing duties. I hope to run Rise of the Runelords, but don't really want to have to run a DMPC. I've made one, perhaps the least glory hound character ever, but I'd rather find a fourth and my efforts are falling though.
I really hope to get it running though, this DM's wife needs to learn what it's like to play a character with no 18s.
I really hope to get it running though, this DM's wife needs to learn what it's like to play a character with no 18s.
*Chuckling* For the STAP presently in play, I had to mandate a modified version of the SCAP chargen method. They rolled up 3 sets of ability scores for each of thier first 3 characters with myself witnessing all die rolls. It was ... enlightening, to say the least, how many nat-18s did not get rolled after witnessing 81 sets of ability scores generated.
*Chuckling* For the STAP presently in play, I had to mandate a modified version of the SCAP chargen method. They rolled up 3 sets of ability scores for each of thier first 3 characters with myself witnessing all die rolls. It was ... enlightening, to say the least, how many nat-18s did not get rolled after witnessing 81 sets of ability scores generated.
Heh. Have you ever rolled at least three sixes on a scorching ray and begin cursing yourself?
Heh. Have you ever rolled at least three sixes on a scorching ray and begin cursing yourself?
*Chuckling* For the STAP presently in play, I had to mandate a modified version of the SCAP chargen method. They rolled up 3 sets of ability scores for each of thier first 3 characters with myself witnessing all die rolls. It was ... enlightening, to say the least, how many nat-18s did not get rolled after witnessing 81 sets of ability scores generated.
Oh, I've rolled far better on damage rolls than ability score generation rolls ... it's enough to make you cry sometimes ...
Although Allen was royally hating life earlier in his AoW AP when I nat-18'd the turning damage roll ... good times. XD