RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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I've got a full weekend session coming up for 7 level 11 characters.
If I wanted to run a few AoW scenarios, starting with A Gathering of Winds and continuing with A Spire of Long Shadows, how much background story would they have missed? How easy would it be to sum up what had been going on elsewhere?
Let's say the first AoW adventurers had a TPK and my group gets recruited. How much would Allustan have to tell them at the start of AGOW before they could get going?
I hear it's one of the best adventures - if it's not too much of a fudge, I'd like to give it a go.
You can probably use Allustan to pass on the information that they would have gotten from Eligos at the end of Champion's Belt. The Spire of Long Shadows is where Kyuss and his minions really become central to the campaign anyway.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Thanks for the tip - I've only skimmed through the age of worms in its entirety so far. I'll quickly pick up the Champions Belt issue for that info.
Was there already something with worms in the previous encounters? I was thinking of leading in with an encounter with some sort of worm infested madman and then having that be the carrot to lead them to Allustan and kick off AGOW.
If the whole Kyuss thing wasn't out in the open yet anyway that wouldn't even be necessary. The irregular weekend group are in it for kicks, unlike my STAP group who would need a seriously well-constructed intro. The weekend group are pretty forgiving about that sort of thing as long as they have fun - I can read them a half a page to bring them up to speed and set off :) (A nice change)
In which issue do I find their first encounter with the dragon from AGOW - I get the idea they've heard of it.
I've been dreading the weekend while wondering how I'd find time to rewrite the Vampires arc. Now I'm relaxed and looking forward to the whole thing - just because of the massive amount of praise for AGOW here. Sweet!
My advice would be to scale 'Champions Belt' up to your PCs level and run that instead. The hook for the adventure (finding Ekaym's sister) doesn't require any background and by the time they're done with the championship they've dipped into the events of the Age of Worms. Afterwards, Eligos or Allustan can approach them and say "Ah! These events match the prophecies of the Age of Worms, you should go see Manzorian." and lead them straight to Spire of Long Shadows which fills them in on the whole deal.
The only reason I suggest skipping Gathering of Winds entirely is that it's whole hook is dependent on the revenge of a villain from a previous adventure (Encounter at Blackwall Keep) and the further exploration of threads from the first adventure (Whispering Cairn). I don't know if a party could just jump into the middle of it and not be all "Who's this dragon?" and "Wind Duke what?" Even the big treasure at the end won't have the foreshadowing it deserves and could potentially derail your players' interest if they aren't already committed to the AoW.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Wow - thank you!
They're in the Realms and their base is in Waterdeep, so that would be easy enough to arrange. So, if they like it we could just skip AGOW and go straight to the Spire?
Would there be a lot of scaling to get it good enough for 7 level 11 characters? Would you have any pointers beyond extra hit dice, a few levels and a few extra beasties in each encounter?
Oh - and they get the Froghemoth! That's reason enough!!!
Would there be a lot of scaling to get it good enough for 7 level 11 characters? Would you have any pointers beyond extra hit dice, a few levels and a few extra beasties in each encounter?
Afraid I can only offer story-line suggestions. My rules mechanics knowledge is simple at best (which is why I'm so dependent on published adventures to start with).
When I've been in situations like this, I've just found Dungeon adventures in the level range I'm running and lifted those stats out into the context of the storyline I want to run. Sorry I can't be any help otherwise.
Wow - thank you!
They're in the Realms and their base is in Waterdeep, so that would be easy enough to arrange. So, if they like it we could just skip AGOW and go straight to the Spire?
Would there be a lot of scaling to get it good enough for 7 level 11 characters? Would you have any pointers beyond extra hit dice, a few levels and a few extra beasties in each encounter?Oh - and they get the Froghemoth! That's reason enough!!!
Lenny-Bomb the 'vanilla' critters carborundum .... bet that gets thier undivided attention. ^_^
Hope your crew has fun this weekend!
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Maybe a giant rhagodessa with a lennybomb enchanted collar?
LOL - If I Lennybomb them, I'll be sleeping in the barn :-)
I've actually got two weeks to sort it out, it's the 17th! Still a lot of reading to do :) (And work, gf, stuff...)
Let me see - they kick off with the Champions Belt, and it would be easiest if they know that Raknian has something called the Apostolic Scrolls, and that he's tried to kill them. Beyond that, they need to know nothing much except the existence of the Ebon Triad really. If I can let a Talisman of the Sphere fall into their hands at some point, they would be in the zone.
I was thinking of kicking off with Raknian (courtesy of eldritch divinations off screen) convinced they are a threat and sending in the assassins, and in a self-fulfilling prophecy pi**ing them off and guaranteeing his own downfall. For assassins I fancy hiring the squad of Vampire Werewolves from Vamps of Waterdeep part 1, since it's just too funny for them to lose levels and contract lycanthropy in the first half hour.
Should the werewolves have green worms inside them somewhere? I haven't read all that yet :) Is that unnecessary?
So - they search the werewolves, follow one back to the lair, fight some more with their boss (possibly the undead beholder from Vamps of Waterdeep) and find out that Raknian was behind it. Maybe a note with "the party are a threat to the scrolls" - keep it simple, eh?
Am I missing something big?
I am also just playing in a gathering of winds, but of course we started from the beginning. It seems like you are going more and more to the beginning of the AoW, you now want to use the basics of HoHR. But I've got another idea, make the PCs wittness the final battle in the campaigns belt as spectators. Maybe the originally group of PCs got killed before, or they are in this fight and are wiped out by Ugly. Your PCs can intervene, stop the catastrophe (maybe) and then one remaining "PC" from the original group tells the story, sends them to Eligos or Allustan, and voila your group is up to date and in the game and you can directly start with AGoW. Let also some spawns of Kyuss climb out from the Apostel's tunnel, so that the PCs get a feeling for what this all is about. Eligos letter sends them to Allustan, they see a village ravaged by a dragon. They go to the dragon and hear, that he is after Allustan, as he foiled her plans (see Encounter at Blackwall Keep). The PCs kill her and look for Allustan in the tomb. Later he could urge them to continue to Magepoint, as his champions were killed and someone has to stop the AoW. I guess if you start with a big prologue (Mindflayer, Vampire werewolfs etc.) you will never reach the adventure itself. But in the end: just have fun!
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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That would certainly be easier! I'm not sure how much information they need to have at this point and I guess I'm slipping further back to not 'miss' anything. You're right though - I could just tell them, and have someone hand over the torch.
Fights in the Arena will be fun for a Saturday afternoon - I think I'll start there and pump up the opponents a bit. Some of the players only ever play in the irregular weekend games, so it'll be good practice for them before either AGOW of the Spire.
I just dont know if I'm better going straight to Spire or not. The nice bit about AGOW is that you return to the start, but that will be meaningless for these characters. It's also a great dungeon (except maybe for the pillar room) though plot-wise there is not so much, I think.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Okay - I'll forget about the assassins and start with the Games and the simple 'find my sister' plot. The party are a higher level so they can make a few side trips, find an appropriate sage and get an idea of what the things are they just fought.
After that, the question is 'skip AGOW entirely' or just go for it. I could always have extra background visible on the walls to fill them in on the wind duke stuff if I run it. Or - send them straight to Manzorian and the Spire.
Any advice, wise peoples? On the one hand, they're here for the dungeons and the ass-kicking more than the role-playing, so Gathering of Winds would be okay. Ah, well - looks like I made up my mind already :)
After AGoW the Wind Dukes are of no importance any more they do not show up and the only important thing would be the Talisman of Spheres (which your players do not have) and the Piece of the Rod of Law. It depends a little bit where you want to go? To the end of the AoW or will you end it after SoLS anyway?
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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To be honest, I'm not sure. They do like their high level characters and don't get to bring them out very often - maybe every two months or so for a weekend.
I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to go to the end, though it'd be a long process :) On the other hand, high level games with so much time in between is a bit tricky - you forget all the little things you really need to remember.
If I assume they're going on, it'd be easy enough to simply drop the Talisman in the end of A Gathering of Winds, along with the rod fragment - as if they'd just both been resting there. I'll plan on going on and be sure to start each new session with a moderate combat to get them back in the swing of things :)
Remember, the rod fragment is exchanged for a major magic item by Manzorian at the beginning of SoLS. If your PCs have enough wealth, this is not at all necessary, if not Manzorian can still support them with some magic. The Talisman, however, could be given to them by Manzorian or the PCs get it in LoLR from the Druids or find it in Dragothas treasure. If you do not insist on AGoW, an adventure I, personally, did not like that much (especially as it is followed by SoLS), you could just give them the arena fight against the Apostle (maybe together with the cleric and some undead (forgot the name)) and then make them go directly to Magepoint on the command of Eligos and to the SoLS. AGoW has no relevance at all for the story in your case. I think you should arrange, that your PCs are at least Lvl12 when they teleport to the Spire (otherwise it might be too deadly, but hard to say with 7 PCs), maybe use the Magepoint backdrop to start a small side trek (vampire werewolves, maybe ;-).
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Thanks, mate!
That's good advice! The last weekend we struggled through Heart of Nightfang Spire without knowing what was going on, and I'd like to avoid a dungeon that's not in the plot when DM-ing for this group for the first time.
Wonder if I can think of another way to slip the dragon in anyway :)
So apart from what they hear at the start of Spires, and what they've seen in the Arena, will they need more background to understand the visions? I'll have to study them properly this weekend!
You have two nice tools to bring the PCs up to date: Eligos (who needs not to be killed in this Scenario) and Manzorian. The dragon is easy: as the PCs do not have the piece of the Rod of Law, the devils have no reason to attack them, just put in the dragon there, who is out for revenge for the PCs preventing the ritual in the arena: "...blah, blah now you see what you get for your meddling, this is a greeting from Dragotha" *acid blast...bite, claw, claw, wing, wing, tail* ;-)
As the PCs are surprised and do not have much time to prepare, this will be a tough fight I guess (although they are quite likely fully rested). Sorry, I did not prepare SoLS yet, so I could not help you with what infos your PCs will still need, although I guess not very much as SoLS is a major turning point and the PCs learn most secrets.
That does sound like a pretty tasty dragon fight. I say go for it and name drop the hell out of Dragotha.
A thought also occured to me that if you haven't run 'Whispering Cairn', you can still sprinkle in parts of that as an intro to 'Gathering of Winds'.
GoW puts the entrance to the second cairn off the first hallway, but nobody will know any different if you move it deeper in.
Off the top of my head, make the entrance to the cairn lead into the room with the lanterns. Go ahead and leave in the trapped tomb (but, obviously, bump up the threat of it), but drop the elevators and lower levels. Instead just let them solve the lantern puzzle and open the blowy face.
Cut the ball trap and maybe Allistor Land (he makes an appearance later in the Path, so it's up to you to decide how or if to use him here). Instead, have the blowy-face open into the chamber with the wall carvings which give the story of the Wind Dukes and the Queen of Chaos. Then, let that room have the opening to the tomb from 'A Gathering of Winds'. That way your players go into it getting all the backstory in one go. At the same time, I agree with the idea of including the talisman of the sphere in there somewheres.
The only thing that remains to figure out is the hook to get the party there at all. Perhaps finding one of the colored lanterns could lead them to investigating where it came from...
I beefed up the dragon a little bit as my players have very high stats, but you could do similarly as you have a big party: first remove weapon focus(bite) and give him Shape Breath, so the ineffective line will be a cone in exchange for +1 round waiting in between, second give him a potion of empower breath for 1 1/2 damage on his first breath. Its a way to make him tougher without raising the CR.
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GoW puts the entrance to the second cairn off the first hallway, but nobody will know any different if you move it deeper in.
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But if you do this, you should remove Allustan from the adventure completely, otherwise the question arises: How did he get in? (a thing you could really ask also in the original adventure, although as he is LN, it might be explained for most parts).