Just wondering if anyone's done any monster substitution for this module? D&D/IoD history aside, the whole flying kopru/decanter of endless water thing in Golismorga seems a bit egregiously silly, plus Laogroat, with its cr7 dimetrodon and handful of cr4 troglodyte lepers (wh'll need 20s to hit ANYONE at this level) looks like a cakewalk in the making. Not that I necessarily want Laogroat to be a meatgrinder, but right now it looks like a tedious, unthreatening bore.
I'm looking to replace the kopru in Golismorga with a mix of aberrations and underdark critters that make up a ramshackle cult of Demogorgon. I'll keep the trogs, maybe replace some of the nagas with mind flayers for variety, and instead of the kopru behemoths I'll use templated hill giants (multi-headed, reptilian, with barbarian levels, chosen mostly so I can use the Dreamblade 'Ogrol Ragelord' mini for them...) Ulioth might become a chuul rather than a kopru, with the same class levels. Perhaps stick a ythrak in there as well, just to help make life difficult for flying PCs. Liberal use of the multi-headed template and holy symbols of Demogorgon scattered around the place - with such a variety of different critter in here it's probably important to distinguish between the Lords of Dread and the other random inhabitants of Golismorga. The PCs should be able to realise that not EVERYONE here is involved in the creation of the Shadow Pearls, so they might be more inclined to talk to Rakis-Ka etc rather than just obliterating them from ambush.
As for Laogroat - hmm. I'm a bit stretched for ideas. I'd like to give the trogs a chance of being threatening without making them a genuinely powerful force - disease and green slime sling-bombs are good tries, but when the trogs are unlikely to cause any hp damage on top of that and the cleric can cast Cure Disease/Restoration and fix it all the next morning, they're a bit on the token side.
Suggestions/comments?
There are some ideas in this thread.
There are some ideas in this thread.
I just realised that that link doesn't work properly, possibly because the thread got moved after being resurrected. Sorry about that!
Try here instead.
I retooled quite a few of the inhabitants of the Lightless Depths, statblocks for which can be found at the tail end of my campaign journal here. Most of that last page is stat blocks I used on the Isle of Dread and a few choice baddies afterwards. Hopefully those will get things stirred up a bit for your crew! :)
As far as the trogs, I had the characters come across them already messily deceased, here - "The Lightless Depths, Part 1" is what you are looking for.
P.H. Dungeon's excellent campaign journal is also a recommended read for further inspiration. :)
Yes indeed, those campaign journals make for edifying (and scary) reading!
Yes indeed, those campaign journals make for edifying (and scary) reading!
Hello again Bellona. I'd not forgotten about the MIC "critique" promised you so long ago ... but, with the release of Pathfinder Beta, it has taken a back burner. :)
Hello again Bellona. I'd not forgotten about the MIC "critique" promised you so long ago ... but, with the release of Pathfinder Beta, it has taken a back burner. :)Yes indeed, those campaign journals make for edifying (and scary) reading!
Thank you, Turin!
As I said last time about it, no need to rush it (particularly if you're in the throes of playtesting PF Beta). That said, I _am_ looking forward to it when you do post it.
<Rubs hands in glee at the thought of certain deflated players ...> :)
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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As my TLD took place in Pandemonium's 3rd and 4th layers of Phlegethon and Agathion (everything within the Cerulean Curtain) I replaced som underdark monsters with fiendish and demonic creatures.
I made Emraag into a fiendish advanced dragon turtle and replaced the dimetrodon with an advanced Howler. In the stone garden I placed two 30HD advanced fiendish Mineral Warrior Ropers... that was nasty. In Golismorga I replaced the sage devourer with a Sibriex. I also mounted the kopru patrols on advanced fiendish spider eaters and subbed dark nagas with the Worm nagas from AoW. I also brought Ziovayne from Serpents of Scuttlecove in as reinforcements after the PC's retreated from the Holashners ziggurat.