Howdy everyone,
I'm currently running RotR for my group. My players are still working their way through Burnt Offerings after five sessions averaging four hours each. They have already cleared out the Catacombs of Wrath and currently have reached Thistletop. They have wandered through the bramble tunnels trying to get a feel for the place and have just discovered the stocade wall across the bridge. Right after that, they were surprised by Gogmurt and Tangletooth. After a fierce battle with most of the party entangled by Gogmurt, they managed to kill Tangletooth but not before the party Ranger was killed. Gogmurt was then driven off after his hit points were reduced to 17. The three remaining PCs then returned to Sandpoint to heal, re-provision and recruit new help. Gogmurt will be waiting for them when they return.
Thanks for bearing with me though that description. My question is since they are back in Sandpoint, should I start to seed the beginnings of the Skinsaw Murders while they are there?
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They should finish off the lower areas of thistletop before you start the next issue. 1. they need the XP. 2. after thistletop, they should have some fun in sandpoint. there's no need to rush. develope some NPCs, throw a few sidequests, random encounters, crazy s~#~ at them. maybe they want to find the sandpoint devil's lair, or investigate rumors of a Hag in brinestump marsh.
there's lots of content that people have posted for exactly this level, since its the funnest and easiest level to play/run/design. your PCs are canny, competent people with powerfull abilities. your rogues can drop someone with a single backstab. your wizard can deal enough damage with a Combust to burn down a door, your cleric becomes a holy powerhouse with just a spell or two, and your fighter is a sword-swinging badass that the whole party relies on when things get tough. Later, when the party sleeps or marches based on how many 7th level spells the wizard has left, and the fighter is a useless appendix that requires more healing than he justifies, when way too many zeroes get tacked on to everything, you will be pinning for the days when sorcerors had to rely on Burning hands in a tough situation, and were genuinely squishy. Usefull, yes, but still squishy. life and death hung on every roll, monsters were genuinely scary, every +1 from high ground and charging mattered, and runehounds were a terror in the night.
Also, remember that this means that the Humans, et al, in thistletop must have noticed that the top level is much quieter and less smelly. there's going to be an organized resistance to another intrusion: nualia might have been able to bargain for a few more Yeth Hounds or other minor demon-type lamashtu things. simple booby traps might be laid out here and there, or barricades that cant be broken through without alerting everyone to your presence. Nualia's little band is effectively a five-person adventuring party, with a wizard, a rogue, a fighter, a ranger, and a cleric. you've seen time and again that a team like this is practicaly unstoppable, provided they work together (this little band doesnt, you see. the cleric is a sociopath who doesnt care about any of them, but is 'with' the rogue, the rogue is in love with the cleric, the wizard is obsessed with the rogue, and the fighter is in smitten with the wizard, and the ranger hates everyone but the cleric, particularly the rogue.
All good ideas, Jodah. However what I meant to ask, but didn't do so very clearly, was if I should start to drop some foreshadowing of the Skinsaw Murders? I understand that there is no way my group of 4 3rd level PCs is ready for Skinsaw yet but I was wondering if other DMs had started to drop some hints for what was to come? Not necessarily even something that the PCs would act on, just sort of "background noise" at this point. Something like Hemlock informing the PCs of a murder or maybe them even overhearing some rumors of murders in a tavern. I was just wondering if anyone else had done something like that in their own games.
As for some side quests between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders, I'm all for that.
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All good ideas, Jodah. However what I meant to ask, but didn't do so very clearly, was if I should start to drop some foreshadowing of the Skinsaw Murders? I understand that there is no way my group of 4 3rd level PCs is ready for Skinsaw yet but I was wondering if other DMs had started to drop some hints for what was to come? Not necessarily even something that the PCs would act on, just sort of "background noise" at this point. Something like Hemlock informing the PCs of a murder or maybe them even overhearing some rumors of murders in a tavern. I was just wondering if anyone else had done something like that in their own games.
As for some side quests between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders, I'm all for that.
Minor foreshadowing is ok but really make it barely noticable. A little agitation in hemlock or a little momento missing from Foxglove's target of obsession.
Side quest are always good as well after part 1.
I added some foreshadowing during a rest from Thistletop. They had to come back to Sandpoint after clearing out all but the last level. When they returned to Sandpoint, they asked about Hemlock and all they could find out was that he and his men have been preoccupied. They did track him down and he did not want to get them involved (yet).
So they returned to Thistletop. They have just cleared out the last level of Thistletop, but left before figuring out the "stack of coins" door. So really there are only two encounters left in Thistletop for them. They had to return again to Thistletop where they were given a message that Hemlock was looking for them. And we know where it goes from there. However, the players are sensing that too, and are thinking about leaving town quietly to try and get past that last door.
I did a very fast transition between Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw and ended up regretting it--too much weighing on the PCs too quickly, and the player seemed battle-fatigued. In retrospect, I would have built up Skinsaw much more slowly, over the course of weeks after the PCs got back to Sandpoint. I was worried, though, that they would up and leave (they're Varisian wanderers).
Mary
My players know that their PCs are irresponsible, and (at least some of them) are looking forward to having their characters learn that goofing off has consequences when they know they should be paying attention to stuff. They have therefore asked me to stick strictly to the timeline and not cut them slack if they're running behind.
I worked out all the numbers involved then just rolled Aldern's Fort saves until he died. After that I followed the timeline in the book and had him return to the Hinterlands on the appropriate day. As it stands, he has just killed the first farm full of people, so he'll soon be moving on to Mortwell and friends.
I am going to start skinsaw tonight actually, the group just finished up Thistletop during the last session, and I am going to start this session with a week of down time where they get the hero treatment (similar to after the first part of burnt offorings, but new for this group as they replaced the group that fought off the goblins in the raid after they all in thistletop). During the week of down time I plan on having "The Object's" room at the inn get robbed by Aldern, and a certain nervousness about Sherrif Hemlock be noticed (when the barn murders happen).
I'm trying to work out the Skinsaw Murders timeline. I think I've got it now.
Day 1: The Skinsaw Man kills Farmer Hambley
Day 2: The Skinsaw Man kills Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe, and injures Grayst Sevilla.
Day 3: Grayst Sevilla is found wandering and is given over to Erin Habe.
Day 4: Late in the evening, Katrine Vinder slips into the mill for a late-night liason with Banny Harker.
Day 5: Ibor Thorn arrives at the mill in the morning and discovers the bodies of Vinder and Harker. Sheriff Hemlock appeals to the PCs. (New murders occur every few days after this.)
Does this look right?
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I'm trying to work out the Skinsaw Murders timeline. I think I've got it now.
Day 1: The Skinsaw Man kills Farmer Hambley
Day 2: The Skinsaw Man kills Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe, and injures Grayst Sevilla.
Day 3: Grayst Sevilla is found wandering and is given over to Erin Habe.
Day 4: Late in the evening, Katrine Vinder slips into the mill for a late-night liason with Banny Harker.
Day 5: Ibor Thorn arrives at the mill in the morning and discovers the bodies of Vinder and Harker. Sheriff Hemlock appeals to the PCs. (New murders occur every few days after this.)Does this look right?
He does seem to be in rather a hurry to slaughter everyone, perhaps if you desire some distance between the killings, you could pace them out a bit. That way there is no immediate link between the murder of Hambley...maybe the watch catch a Goblin and dispose of the 'problem' and it is all settled until the day when Mortwell, Hask, and Tabe are butchered and Sevilla goes missing...
Casts - Resurrect Thread
"Poof"
Sorry to bring this out of cold storage but it has some good information, but I wanted to see if I could get a little more from the community that is been around a while.
I like the above list for timing up to when the PC's get pulled in. I assume even though Hambley was first the timing work for him to be found as outlined in Part Three.
Now what I need to figure out is who else will get murdered and when?
Knowing my group I see they get pulled in to the murders on day 5, and that afternoon they are off to the Sanatorium.
Per the adventure the crazed farmer will show up the morning of day 6. The party will then set off to investigate that as soon as they are aware of it. At the end of this they should find the Foxglove Key, leading them to the Manor for part 4.
I could easily see the group ending up at the manor mid morning of day seven. Allowing time at most for 1 more murder.
Am I missing something here?
Thanks
JD