If the Runeforge has a "preservative aura" that keeps the bodies from decaying and the body parts in the labs "in workable shape", why did the wine spoil?
I know, I know, minor nit-pick, but if I were a PC I'd be arguing for a GP value for the collection.
If the Runeforge has a "preservative aura" that keeps the bodies from decaying and the body parts in the labs "in workable shape", why did the wine spoil?
I know, I know, minor nit-pick, but if I were a PC I'd be arguing for a GP value for the collection.
blame it on cork taint. It's not spoilage due to age, but rather contamination.
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This has already been asked in the GM Reference thread. There were two answers given by James Jacobs and Steve Greer:
I am confused by the descriptions of the preservative properties of Runeforge/Ravenous Crypts. For instance, area F1 of the Ravenous Crypts states “- all are empty save for a few silk funeral shrouds and scented herbs, preserved by Runeforge for eternity.” This sentence makes it sound like Runeforge keeps objects/things from decaying, in effect “preserving them for eternity”.
In area F3, it describes the appalling, cloying reek from a half-dozen brutally savaged bodies in the read-aloud text, but then goes on to say further down in the passage that “The bodies themselves are preserved from decay by the crypts aura, and although it’s been years, Kazaven works slowly and carefully.” If the bodies are magically preserved, why is there an appalling, cloying reek? You would only get that if the bodies are decaying.
In area F4, it states that the wine in the bottles has long since spoiled, but if there is some magical preservative property in the Runeforge/Ravenous Crypts (one part says Runeforge, another says crypts) why are the shrouds and herbs preserved, but not the wine? Most players might not notice these inconsistencies, but astute/perceptive players might, and the lack of consistency could throw them off.
My question is, is there a preservative quality active in Runeforge? Is it active in all of Runeforge, or just the Ravenous Crypts? Does it preserve some things but not others? I realize that this is kind of nitpicky, but it bothered me enough to make me wonder about this question rather than focus on the actual adventure itself.
Runeforge's preservation effects work mostly to justify the look and feel of the dungeon, to be honest. Also... each wing of the dungeon is more or less there to preserve or enhance things as appropriate to that wing. The crypts preserve undead and dead flesh. The Iron Cages preserve beauty. The greed wing enhances apparent vaule. And so on. If the PCs DO get intrigued by these elements, you can actually use these variations between the wings to enhance the feel and theme of the area in a pretty nifty manner.
As for the bodies in area F3... if you'd rather have unscented dead bodies, that's cool. The stink of dead bodies adds to the flavor and creepy factor of the dungeon, though, so I'd say that Kazaven needs some of them to "age properly" for certain experiments (particularly if he's creating skeletal undead or undead with stench auras like ghasts), and that he can suppress the preservation on these select body parts as he wishes.
The wine in the crypts are not dead bodies, therefore the preservative effects of the crypts doesn't work as well (if at all) on the wine.
Steve Greer: Osprey, while gentle repose stops a body from decaying, there are things inside the human body that just don't smell very pleasant whatsoever :(
So, while the flesh may be preserved perfectly by the preservative effects of the Ravenous Crypts, if those bodies have been opened up to get at "the creamy filling" so to speak, you can bet there's going to be some odor. And it ain't gonna smell like flowers!