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Dumb question:
How do you guys pronounce "Grau"?
Is it Grau, as in "Mr Spock raises his eye BROW"...
or is it Grau, as in "I watch my plants as they GROW"...
(Or is there some other pronounciation?)
Ultradan
Dumb question:
How do you guys pronounce "Grau"?Is it Grau, as in "Mr Spock raises his eye BROW"...
This one. It's just the German word for "grey".
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So I'm trying to understand the reward system in this one. I am talking about the reward for completing the section "All the World's Meat", where the PCs captrue Verik & three of his guards alive. They have avidance about the "Night's special cut", so the guards will be executed, not sure if I want Verik to go with them or not... I might leave it up to the PCs to decide how they present thing to Kroft.
Anyway, When Kroft debriefs the PCs, she says, "Bring him in alive, and there's ANOTHER 1000 gold in it for you. Bring him dead, he is worth half that."
despite the wording, there is no mention of a base reward that the 1000 gold could be added to. So is it just 1000? and is that for each PC or for the group as a whole?
I want the payment Kroft grants to seem generous - I might have her give more to the PCs and then cut some of the loot they should later find.
First, I'll say that 1000 gold is already generous (and only slightly less than the Queen gave them earlier). It's the city watch, after all, not a wealthy merchant or monarch.
The "another" is either a typo, or there's supposed to be a reward of 1000 gp for the other deserters. Either way, the reward is for the group as a whole.
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Prosfilaes, sounds like you are playing with a LARGE group of players who have a very tactical mindset - I do hope you upped the challange in the fishery accordingly, by adding more NPCs into the mix.
My group opted for a night assault as well, but they got into some really right fighting - the only change I made was to change Yagrin to a level 2 Alchemist (which keeps his original CR anyway). What happened was that the PCs decided to get in by the door from the south from the boardwalk, and after a faild lockpicking attempt they went for the direct assault plan and kicked the door in - which only took a couple of rounds, but was enough to wake up Yagrin. As they broke in he was already retreating into the big room to the east, throwing bombs all the while. A major fight broke up then, when Giggles stormed into the room 3 rounds later, herding a group of frightened orphans in front of him, one of which was actualy Hookshanks. So all in all the PCs faced a 2nd level alchemist, a 2nd level fighter and a 2nd level rouge coming at them by surprise (they failed their perception checks and the "child" got a sneak attack in).
After they rounded up those group of thugs (though Giggles ran away under the affect of a fear spell and never bothered to come back and check on his master, and he will probably become a recurring mini villian), they went down to find Lamm (I skipped the spider thing, that seemed like a silly encounter), and the PCs stormed at him, allowing the lurking crocodile which they failed to spot an attack of opportunity, nearly resulting in a PC death as the cleric was dragged into the pool and would have been subjected to a death roll if not for the resourceful alchemist with the healing potion and the helpful attitude.
All in all, I can't imagine why the Fishery felt so disappointing for you - even an all out assault resulted in a rather cool set of encounters for our group.
In your place I would make sure to make all the encounters WWWAAAYYY harder than they are in the books, since a party of 6 is really powerful. To the fishery I would have added at least one more 2nd level NPC, and maybe a trap or two to spice things up.
What Lord Snow said. For a group of six players, you should have eoncounters 50% more hard. That means 50% more monsters or add 1 to the level of each NPC or the advanced template for monsters. If you don't scale now, they will have less xp and will advance slower. This could be for worse when facing enemies with area attacks and high DCs.
I started this adventure last night with three
In her boxed text, Zellara says she used her harrow deck to search for Galdren. How? He had it. That's something I picked up on the read-through, but forgot to change, so my players naturally jumped all over it.
Speak from memory so don't crossbow me if I'm wrong but:
Right; but what started this whole thing was one of Lamm's lambs stole the deck, and then her son died trying to get it back.
I stand corrected. I re-read the paragraph his weekend and my memory was inaccurate.
It didn't come up with my players this weekend but I my explanation would have been that her connection to the heirloom deck allowed her divine its location.
You could set things like this:
In her boxed text, Zellara says she used her harrow deck to search for Galdren. How? He had it. That's something I picked up on the read-through, but forgot to change, so my players naturally jumped all over it.
No.
Zellara has the deck in the initial appearance to the PC's because she AND the deck are ghosts.
So yes, having the deck that Geadran stole is a "slip up" and might be something that makes a PC go hmmmm, but the way Zellara tells the PCs about the history leaves things open about how she might have gotten the deck back.
So the only thing that could screw up the story is if a PC asks her how she got the deck back, if it was stolen. But anything she offers upfront is ambiguous at best.
I've just started this campaign, and I've run it this way: Zellara's son did indeed recover the deck, but Lamm's people tracked him down and killed him and sent Zellara his head. Then she used her cards to find Lamm and when she went to confront him, he killed her, fed her body to the alligator and stashed her head and cards away. The Zellara the PCs encounter, as well as her cards are manifestations of her spirit in the house.
Has anybody had a player want to be a Sable Company marine? It sounds like a super-cool idea and it fits in spectacularly with the setting in Korvosa...but I'm struggling with how to integrate a player who belongs to an organization that would almost certainly take precedence over an adventuring party? How would I play off him NOT being called to active duty by the Company? Why would they take a member who is off with his friends all day, every day?
Has anybody had a player want to be a Sable Company marine? It sounds like a super-cool idea and it fits in spectacularly with the setting in Korvosa...but I'm struggling with how to integrate a player who belongs to an organization that would almost certainly take precedence over an adventuring party? How would I play off him NOT being called to active duty by the Company? Why would they take a member who is off with his friends all day, every day?
The simplest answer is that something about the PCs personality clashed with those of the Sable Company so they couldn't work out. When I started CotCT, I had actually run a group of 3 players through the Crypt of the Everflame Module, and we incorporated that into their backgrounds. One of the players wanted to be a Sable Company Marine, so he took the feat for a Hippogriff, but the reason he wasn't a part of active duty was that he and his family were constantly moving between Korvosa and the town of Kassen, where Crypt of the Everflame takes place.
So he had all the training and perks, but until he could settle down, he wasn't an official member of the Marines. However, if did give me another source with which to offer missions so it didn't feel like Cressida was the one leading them around all the time. The lady who happens to be the Captain of the Guard is unlikely to be directly interacting with low-level peons like the party at first, especially when they first come off the street. I used the Marines as possible delegates for issuing orders and it made for a more believable setting.
Of course it's spoilery, it's a topic about a chapter from the AP, why would the players even read this?
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Has anybody had a player want to be a Sable Company marine? It sounds like a super-cool idea and it fits in spectacularly with the setting in Korvosa...but I'm struggling with how to integrate a player who belongs to an organization that would almost certainly take precedence over an adventuring party? How would I play off him NOT being called to active duty by the Company? Why would they take a member who is off with his friends all day, every day?
Once you have got over the initial problems, a Sable Marine character could fall foul of the announced re-organisation of the Sable Marines at the start of Escape from Old Korvosa, freeing him to spend more time with his (adventuring) family.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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The biggest hurdle I see IS the initial problem. Perhaps if the character got addicted to some sort of drug or had a close family member who was addicted and needed to take a leave of absence (by choice or by order). Then once Lamm is dealt with and the party has a meeting with the Queen, she could discreetly take him aside and ask him to stay with the group in order to report on their actions. She needs to know who she can trust, being an innocent, newly widowed Queen and all... By the time everything goes foul, he's already with the party and has formed a bond of trust.
Okay so I was reading about Part Four: Welcome to the Guard, specifically the background of Verik Vancaskerkin. I noticed that other posts talked about players finding out about Vimanda Arkona.
But in the chapter, it says "..Vimanda quickly
contacted Verik (who believes her to be nothing more than
his secret Vudran lover).."
So that means that Verik doesn't know that she's really an Arkona? But later in the text it talks about how you can investigate the Arkonas because of what Verik may tell the PCs.
Originally the Arkonas are from Korvosa and probably not Vudran. I didn't know that the Arkonas are now Vudran.
Mind you, this is all just from memory, but if you want more information, make sure to read Escape from Old Korvosa as it deals mainly with the Arkona family.
Okay so I was reading about Part Four: Welcome to the Guard, specifically the background of Verik Vancaskerkin. I noticed that other posts talked about players finding out about Vimanda Arkona.
But in the chapter, it says "..Vimanda quickly
contacted Verik (who believes her to be nothing more than
his secret Vudran lover).."So that means that Verik doesn't know that she's really an Arkona? But later in the text it talks about how you can investigate the Arkonas because of what Verik may tell the PCs.
Originally the Arkonas are from Korvosa and probably not Vudran. I didn't know that the Arkonas are now Vudran.
In addition to Escape from Old Korvosa, the Guide to Korvosa has a lot of information about the Arkonas, as well as lots of other information that useful to have in case your players decide to go "off path" during CotCT.
It also comes with a handy poster-sized map of Korvosa and has pictures of many NPCs that are important to the CotCT AP, including Glorio Arkona
I think Tels suggestion on how to handle this issue is great.
The current leaders of House Arkona are actually Rakshasas in disguise. Glorio Arkona is actually a male Rakshasa named Bahor whereas Meliya Arkona is a female Rakshasa named Vimanda.
However, it should be noted that House Arkona itself is an old family that predates even the founding of Cheliax. By 4458 AR, House Arkona had sunk into poverty and in a last ditch effort to recover their fortune, Lord Garath Arkona and his brother Jenkson Arkona set sail for Vudra. Upon arriving in Vudra, the two noblemen quickly met their ends at the hands of two Rakshasas who returned to Korvosa under the guise of the noblemen. Anyway, the guide to Korvosa has the full story if you are interested.
In response to your question, the Arkonas are not Vudran but do have strong ties to Vudra because most of their current fortune was made by importing Vudran wares. Since Vimanda is a Rakshasa she could have taken on any humanoid form she wanted to seduce Verik, including that of a Vudran woman.
I read the Korvosa guide and some of the other books, so I know about the Arkonas. But the part with Verik and Vimanda Arkona is really vague.
I know that Vimanda is disguised as Meliya Arkona to the outside world. But would she use her real name, Vimanda, to this guy? Is there even a Vimanda Arkona that is known to the outside world? It just seems sloppy that she would even let Verik know she's an Arkona.
Tels's explanation is probably the best one. I was just thinking ahead to part 3.
I read the Korvosa guide and some of the other books, so I know about the Arkonas. But the part with Verik and Vimanda Arkona is really vague.
I know that Vimanda is disguised as Meliya Arkona to the outside world. But would she use her real name, Vimanda, to this guy? Is there even a Vimanda Arkona that is known to the outside world? It just seems sloppy that she would even let Verik know she's an Arkona.
Tels's explanation is probably the best one. I was just thinking ahead to part 3.
Gotcha!
Found this post by James Jacobs which might be helpful.
I read the Korvosa guide and some of the other books, so I know about the Arkonas. But the part with Verik and Vimanda Arkona is really vague.
I know that Vimanda is disguised as Meliya Arkona to the outside world. But would she use her real name, Vimanda, to this guy? Is there even a Vimanda Arkona that is known to the outside world? It just seems sloppy that she would even let Verik know she's an Arkona.
Tels's explanation is probably the best one. I was just thinking ahead to part 3.
Gotcha!
Found this post by James Jacobs which might be helpful.
YES. Soooo helpful. I knew there was something weird about it :P Thanks!
If you have run Edge of Anarchy with Pathfinder rules, how did the Shingles Chase encounter go? Was it fun? Did you make any modifications to the encounter?
Seeing how many 3rd edition skills have been merged in Pathfinder (i.e. Balance, Jump and Tumble were combined into Acrobatics, Listen and Spot into Perception, etc...) it means that a chase sequence would be pretty much limited to Acrobatics, Climb, Escape Artist and Perception checks. Am I missing something?
Thanks!
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I used the GameMastery Chase Card Deck. Here's how I modified to adventure text using the cards rules (in fact it seems the card rules are an evolution of the rules from this adventure):
For this chase, pick all the card from the deck marked “urban” in the top left corner and shuffle them. Each one of these cards represents a section of the Shingles the PCs are chasing Trinia through, and each one presents a different set of obstacles the characters must navigate in order to move on to the next card. Draw 15 cards from the deck and line them up on your gaming table. When the Shingle chase begins, place miniatures (or other markers of your choice) representing each of your PCs on card 1, and place a miniature representing Trinia on card 4 (the abstract nature of the chase allows you to start her here no matter how long it takes the PCs to notice her attempt to flee).
While a character’s speed doesn’t directly affect how far he moves during the Shingle chase, it does affect how quickly he navigates obstacles. For each 10 feet slower than speed 30 a character moves, he suffers a cumulative –2 penalty on any skill check made to navigate these obstacles. Likewise, for every 10 feet faster than speed 30 he moves, he gains a +2 bonus on these checks. These checks also assume that a character isn’t using flight, teleportation, or other magical methods of travel to chase Trinia—if your PCs have access to these effects already, you can simulate the advantages these grant by giving a +10 bonus on skill checks made here, simulating the character’s use of enhanced movement to bypass obstacles entirely and allowing him to move up to three cards per turn with ease.
At the start of the chase, each PC and Trinia makes an Initiative check to determine the order in which they move. When a character moves, he decides if he wants to attempt to move one, two, or three cards. A character can move one card as a move action automatically, or he can attempt to move two or three cards in his turn by taking dangerous shortcuts as a full-round action (leaping from one rooftop to the next, clambering up a drainpipe, swinging along a line, or balancing along a narrow walkway, for example). If a character wants to move two cards, he must select one of the two skill checks from the card he starts his turn on to make in order to move two cards. If a character wants to move three cards, he must make both of the current card’s skill checks to progress. If a character fails any of these checks by 5 or less, he only moves one card forward. If a character fails any of these checks by more than 5, he cannot move at all that turn, and if he fails two checks by more than 5, he falls 1d4×10 feet to the street below, taking the appropriate amount of falling damage.
A fallen character has two choices—he can either make a DC 15 Climb check on his turn to return to the card from which he fell, or he can wind his way through alleys and over fences and through mobs to continue the chase by making a DC 15 Strength or Dexterity check (his choice) to move one card—a fallen character cannot choose to attempt to move two or three cards until he climbs back up into the Shingles.
A character can also choose to make a ranged attack or cast a spell during his turn. If the action is a standard or move action, he can still chose to move forward one card. If the action is a full-round action, he can’t move at all. For purposes of determining range, it’s easiest to assume that each card represents a distance of 30 feet. Although the Shingles could provide plenty of cover, Trinia herself is too panicked to look for cover or hide, so you don’t need to worry about that during ranged combat here.
Trinia generally moves only one card at a time as long as she maintains at least a three-card lead over the PCs. As she moves, she uses her wand of daze monster against the closest PC in an attempt to slow down pursuit. She takes risks on Acrobatic and Climb checks when she’s guaranteed to make the roll or when a PC is within two cards of her position. If a PC is on her same card, she uses hideous laughter in an attempt to shut him down for a few rounds.
If a character ends his turn on the same card as Trinia, he may attempt a single grapple check to grab and restrain her. Once Trinia is pinned, unconscious, or killed, the chase ends. Also, if Trinia manages to move off of card 15, the chase ends.
Cool! Thanks Zaister!
You're welcome!
I have a question for James and the rest of you guys from Pathfinder. I was wondering if you were planning to release a new edition for CotCT (and Second Darkness and Legacy of Fire) with pathfinder rules same as you did for Rise of the Runelords?
I would love to see that happen as well.
The issue has been debated several times on the forums with many fans supporting the idea. However, see this post by Vic Wertz for reasons why it may not make sense for Paizo to do re-release the APs you mentioned.
I'm a little confused regarding the old fishery and Gaedrenn's den beneath it.
The only obvious way down seems to be through the old ship and across the underpier, but the adventure states that Gaedrenn doesn't know about the secret door.
How does Gaedrenn get down to his hideout? (More specifically, how would Yargin go down to alert him?)
They use the skiff that's tied up at the end of the underpier. They can bring skiff below the hole in A8 and lower a rope down so people can climb up or down.
See the text of area A12 on page 19 where it describes the fate of orphans who have outlived their usefulness.
Question about the Dead Warrens:
Did anyone do anything adventure-wise with the "Side passages that lead from area D3 and D9 to other underground complexes under Potter’s Ward"? (EoA, P.49)
I guess I'll take that as a "no"
Does Zellera have a last name?
No, that is up to you.
I made a separate thread for this question before I noticed this one, but I'll repeat it here:
What's the DC for disbelieving Zellara's major image for her Harrow Deck?
I made a separate thread for this question before I noticed this one, but I'll repeat it here:
What's the DC for disbelieving Zellara's major image for her Harrow Deck?
DCs from items, unless specifically said to be otherwise, are always at the minimum, even if you create them yourself. Major Image is a 3rd level spell, required an ability score of 13 to cast, so the DC is 10 + 3 + 1 = 14.
This may have already been covered and I missed it, but bear with me.
When the PCs first "meet" Zellara, she tells them how Gaedren stole her Harrow deck, and how her son died trying to get them back.
While shuffling the cards.
Asking if the PCs would like a free reading.
And saying that "her cards tell her more than they tell most" if PCs ask how she knows so much about them.
I've learned through years, players tend to pick up on the small things a GM can overlook.. fortunately I saw this one. How exactly does she have her cards and read for the PCs, if said cards are still presumably in Gaedren's possession?
I mean, obviously, -I- know; it's the illusion, etc. But how do I avoid Zellara being caught in this loophole if a PC asks?
This may have already been covered and I missed it, but bear with me.
When the PCs first "meet" Zellara, she tells them how Gaedren stole her Harrow deck, and how her son died trying to get them back.
While shuffling the cards.
Asking if the PCs would like a free reading.
And saying that "her cards tell her more than they tell most" if PCs ask how she knows so much about them.
I've learned through years, players tend to pick up on the small things a GM can overlook.. fortunately I saw this one. How exactly does she have her cards and read for the PCs, if said cards are still presumably in Gaedren's possession?
I mean, obviously, -I- know; it's the illusion, etc. But how do I avoid Zellara being caught in this loophole if a PC asks?
She has more than one deck, but the deck that was stolen is an old family heirloom. That's what I went with when I first ran this as I didn't pick up on it. Admittedly, I was also handed the module and asked to run it so I was attempting to read and play it on the same day I got it.
You can also skip the card thing, just have her walk in and ask the PCs for help, which is what I did, check my posts dated August the 3rd.
You can also skip the card thing, just have her walk in and ask the PCs for help, which is what I did, check my posts dated August the 3rd.
If you click on the time stamp next to the 'Flag' 'Delete' 'Edit' options, it will change the url to link to that post.
You can also skip the card thing, just have her walk in and ask the PCs for help, which is what I did, check my posts dated August the 3rd.If you click on the time stamp next to the 'Flag' 'Delete' 'Edit' options, it will change the url to link to that post.
Thanks, another messageboard secret uncovered.
Thanks, another messageboard secret uncovered.You can also skip the card thing, just have her walk in and ask the PCs for help, which is what I did, check my posts dated August the 3rd.If you click on the time stamp next to the 'Flag' 'Delete' 'Edit' options, it will change the url to link to that post.
Have you learned the secret of invisible dots?