Greetings All,
I hope your ST campaigns are all going well. I have a few questions regarding the adventure: Tides of Dread, specifically during the Crimson Fleets attack on farshore.
1. How did you play out the encounters in Chap. 7... did you go round by round, or just skip to the various Fight scenes?
2. Anyone know how deep Farshore Harbor is?
3. My players, through clever use of magic, have devised a way to basically put a grouping of stone columns in the harbors bottleneck, thus preventing the pirates ships from entering ... Any ideas on how to circumvent this? Disentegrate is the only thing I'v ecome up with thus far.
4. How did the final conflict with Vanthus play out... he seems like kind of a weakling... especially since I have 5 PC's in my group. Does he need a boost of some kind? Anyone write up a good "script" for him to say when he finally "reconnects" with the hated heroes?
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work guys!
Greetings All,
I hope your ST campaigns are all going well. I have a few questions regarding the adventure: Tides of Dread, specifically during the Crimson Fleets attack on farshore.
1. How did you play out the encounters in Chap. 7... did you go round by round, or just skip to the various Fight scenes?
2. Anyone know how deep Farshore Harbor is?
3. My players, through clever use of magic, have devised a way to basically put a grouping of stone columns in the harbors bottleneck, thus preventing the pirates ships from entering ... Any ideas on how to circumvent this? Disentegrate is the only thing I'v ecome up with thus far.
4. How did the final conflict with Vanthus play out... he seems like kind of a weakling... especially since I have 5 PC's in my group. Does he need a boost of some kind? Anyone write up a good "script" for him to say when he finally "reconnects" with the hated heroes?
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work guys!
As to
1) We skipped to the individual fights, leaving each of these at some points, to keep a cliffhanging feel for the entire battle. Since ours was very one-sided though, ther wasn't much cliff-hangingWe estimated about 50-60' in the deeper part of the bowl, based on extrapolating of real-world navigational maps for smaller lagoons in Polynesia etc.. Anything up to 100' depth should be feasible and semi-realistic though. And after all, this is a fantasy game
3) there is pretty little leeway around artificial reefs in the harbour and its approaches, but take into mind the following. Depending upon the material/substance actually employed and the time in the day the assault actually takes place, these obstacles might be very visible just under the surface, casting long shadows in the (clear) water - tropical shorewater, espcially near a white sand beach tends to be very clear and easily seen through.
The captains of the assaulting fleet would be less than circumspect not to have at least one lookout up in the foretops to spy for unknown shoals and reefs. If they can be spotted, the fleet would be able to circumvent them, unless they block the harbour in its entirity. And in that case - how are the players going to use the harbour afterwards and beforehand ?
Then again, my players worked around this problem by cloaking their artificial reef with a permanent image of a swarm of jellyfish, effectively turning it invisible.
4) didn't need a script or much of a boost - the vrocks and previous fights will take their toll on even the most experienced group. Actually, how do they know the vrocks are not the climatic big fight at the end of it ? So, basically many groups will be facing Vanthus with something like one-third of their usual spell-load etc. and most likelywithout the really big hitters, having used up those combos on shattering the fleet and besting the invaders ashore.
If they beat everything until then, and still pack their full punch, they either played and planned incredibly well (which deserves rewarding), they are overpowered for the final battle due to some circumstances in your campaign or they knew they had to pack something nasty for the BBEG (and how do they know they are going to face one after the vrocks ?).
Yes, Vanthus can be taken down within a round or two, if everything works out peachy, people roll high, powerful min-max combos come into play etc etc. ? The same applies for most other BBEGs in the campaign - my brother looked over Demogorgon last weekend for like 15 minutes and then told me, that his level 14 wizard (from "Expedition to the Spiderwebs") could take the guy out of circulation for about half a dozen turns easily, without Big D being able to do much more than wince in pain. Looking at his proposed tactic, I had to agree....
BUT : players don't KNOW the bad guys stats, do they ? So have Vanthus been a recipient of a "stoneskin" spell prior to the final shoot-out or having switched one of his feats for Greater Toughness/whatever.... They see the BBEG, wings, demonic horns, flaming eyes and all, but they don't get to see the "XYZ" HP tag, unless you hint at it....
....and of course, he has the Shadow Pearl in hand, the greatest equalizer in the STAP up to that point.
Any experienced character should be more than a little wary to tango with this guy
>> 1. How did you play out the encounters in Chap. 7... did you go round by round, or just skip to the various Fight scenes?
I'll do it narratively, stopping to go round by round for the specific fights. So I might just describe the pirates streaming ashore and the PCs dealing with groups of them here and there. I'll describe the fireballs coming in and then go to a round by round while they deal with that.
>> 2. Anyone know how deep Farshore Harbor is?
No idea. I made it shallow, 30 feet.
>> 3. My players, through clever use of magic, have devised a way to basically put a grouping of stone columns in the harbors bottleneck, thus preventing the pirates ships from entering ...
I wouldn't circumvent it, let the players' good thinking pay off. Let one or two of the pirate ships hit it and sink, give them the VP for scuttling ships. The only problem it would cause would be the fireballer - guess he'll have to fly into town.
My players have discussed this tactic as well. If Meravachni wins the election, he's going to forbid it.
>> 4. How did the final conflict with Vanthus play out...
Haven't gotten there yet. As noted by vikinson, the PCs will probably be very spell spent and wounded by then.
3. My players, through clever use of magic, have devised a way to basically put a grouping of stone columns in the harbors bottleneck, thus preventing the pirates ships from entering ... Any ideas on how to circumvent this? Disentegrate is the only thing I'v ecome up with thus far.
What are the players' plans to clear this up later? Have they just destroyed the Farshore Harbor?
Let those stone columns have a taste of rock to mud!
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/transmuteRockToMud.htm
Let those stone columns have a taste of rock to mud!
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/transmuteRockToMud.htm
Thought of that... unfortunatly...(quoted from the spells description)"Magical stone is not affected by the spell".
I am thinking of adding a couple of ships to the onslaught, just so they can get smashed on the stone colums concelaed beneath the water, then having the spellcaster show up and destroy the columnsin some way. That way they get the VP for scuttling some ships and feel vindicated for all their hard preperation... without destroying the invasion as its written.
I was also thinking of using control water to propell the Yuan ti casters boat up and over the columns... and having waterwalk or water breathing cast on the rest of the pirates rather than having them arrive in rowboats.
I have already planted a spy from the crimson fleet in the population of farshore. He has been comunicating with the fleet via a crystal ball w/ telepathy. So they are already well aware of the preperations the village is making. Thus, when they begin to counter some of the fortifications, it will make sense to some degree.
Thought of that... unfortunatly...(quoted from the spells description)"Magical stone is not affected by the spell".
Hmmm, what spell are they using to create this stone?
Good idea on the spy too (love crystal balls). Was going to suggest something like that.
I think that a lot of good suggestions have been made. I would definitely encourage you to reward your players' ingenuity by allowing one of the pirate ships to be scuttled on the rocky pillars. However, you need to show your players that they are not the only ones with ingenuity and keep them second guessing their battle plans at the same time.
My suggestion (assuming those pillars aren't too high) is the following spell, which any pirating outfit with decent spell casters on board would/should have prepared or have on scrolls:
Create Water
Transmutation [Water]
Level: Clr 4, Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 6, Water 4
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Water in a volume of 10 ft./level by 10 ft./level by 2 ft./level (S)
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: No
Depending on the version you choose, the control water spell raises or lowers water.
Lower Water
This causes water or similar liquid to reduce its depth by as much as 2 feet per caster level (to a minimum depth of 1 inch). The water is lowered within a squarish depression whose sides are up to caster level × 10 feet long. In extremely large and deep bodies of water, such as a deep ocean, the spell creates a whirlpool that sweeps ships and similar craft downward, putting them at risk and rendering them unable to leave by normal movement for the duration of the spell. When cast on water elementals and other water-based creatures, this spell acts as a slow spell (Will negates). The spell has no effect on other creatures.
Raise Water
This causes water or similar liquid to rise in height, just as the lower water version causes it to lower. Boats raised in this way slide down the sides of the hump that the spell creates. If the area affected by the spell includes riverbanks, a beach, or other land nearby, the water can spill over onto dry land.
With either version, you may reduce one horizontal dimension by half and double the other horizontal dimension.
Arcane Material Component
A drop of water (for raise water) or a pinch of dust (for lower water).
Imagine the looks on your players' faces when the water suddenly swells up beneath the Crimson Fleet ships just as they seem about to crash against the stones. And they slide gently down the massive watery mound once they've cleared the rocks in to the lagoon to attack.
*snip*
Pure lulz! Pirate Surf, hang 10!
Hmmm, what spell are they using to create this stone?
Good idea on the spy too (love crystal balls). Was going to suggest something like that.
It is a spell from Monte Cooks Arcana Evolved. One of my players is playing a 10th lev. elven magister from that book; but basically they are using wall of stone and stoneshape to try to block up the harbors natural bottleneck. A while ago, before all the pre-attack planning began I haphazardly told them the harbor was 40' deep.
Remember to give them at least one or two scuttled ships though... it is a good idea.
Indeed, I definatly will. I will also have the attack stalled while the bottleneck is blocked by scuttled ships. Then the caster will use control water to move the ships out of the way and then use it a few more times to get the remaining ships up and over.
I have 5 PC's in my group, so I think I will give the yuanti sorcerer a cleric ally for buffing/healing. Might also summon some air elementals for defense against flying PC's
I think that a lot of good suggestions have been made. I would definitely encourage you to reward your players' ingenuity by allowing one of the pirate ships to be scuttled on the rocky pillars. However, you need to show your players that they are not the only ones with ingenuity and keep them second guessing their battle plans at the same time.
My suggestion (assuming those pillars aren't too high) is the following spell, which any pirating outfit with decent spell casters on board would/should have prepared or have on scrolls:
Control Water
Transmutation [Water]
Level: Clr 4, Drd 4, Sor/Wiz 6, Water 4
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: Water in a volume of 10 ft./level by 10 ft./level by 2 ft./level (S)
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None; see text
Spell Resistance: No
Just noticed that I put the wrong spell name in there. Oops.
Quoted myself to correct it.OK. As you were...
My group prepared the defences very well. The defences were layered and everything was very planned out. But as great as that was, the defensive planning WAS glossed over so we could concentrate on the set-piece battles with which the PCs were involved.
Think back to Hollywood films. You don't see all the action, you just see the parts which involved the heroes. Everything else is just colourful background.
With a debriefing later by some NPC who can fill them in on the details.