The Arcopolis of the Thrallkeepers can serve as an infinite XP generator. The text states that if a certain noise level is reached, a tentacle comes out of the pool in the middle to investigate. This is the tentacle of a havaro (quite an innovative monster) which is in a state of hibernation and the PCs at their current level have no means to wake it up (which would bei a Level 24 Encounter). Each tentacle is a level 6 encounter and there can be 6 tentacles simultaneously (the more noise you make the more tentacles come out of the pool up to a maximum of 6) if one is slain another regrows in its place. For a well equipped level 10 party it is not a big problem, to handle this situation, however player could stay in there to level up as much as the like, when resources dwindle one leaves the temple, since the tentacles cannot follow and regenerates. 3.5 states that an encounter 8 level lower than yourself yields no XP, however if you use the Pathfinder RPG rules you can level into infinity even with level 1 encounters, it only takes a lot of then.
Greetz
Ganzir
Sure - technically, you can. However, how many times do you think it would really take for repeated paper cuts to wake you up under normal (non-sedated) circumstances? The havaro is in hibernation yes - but you go and lop off twenty or thirty tentacles, that is likely to change in a hurry. After all, you are basically doing the equivalent of hitting the snooze button on an alarm clock. Sooner or later you will wake the critter up.
Well if this would just be normal sleep (whatever that means for a monster of this type) I'd agree with you. But the text goes even further in stating, that a direct attack on the body just causes more noise) OK it has fast heal and damage reduction and so on, but it seems the creature is oblivious to such attacks on a conscious level. As a GM I could of course rule: OK you have done everything there is to accomplish in this dungeon and now you are utilizing it as a training ground, which was most likely not the intention of the author therefor after whatever time to havero wakes and slaughters all of you. - problem solved!
Not really, since I don't like wiping out my group just because they act like players do (what can only in the rarest of occasions be regarded as realistic behaviour).
Since I virtually read all of the Pathfinder publications there is something else. Adventuring is a occupation in Golarion in contrast to other fantasy worlds where the PCs are the only adventuring group and are stumbling from one adventure to another. If someone says "I'm an adventurer and set you to acquire riches (gold) and glory (level) than the idea of a training ground is not that absurd. Go into the woods and slaughter some goblins till you get the knack before facing the red dragon ... you're catching my drift !?
Furthermore I don't know which publication it was states that the hellknights summon devil's for training purposes so that (if I remember the text passage correctly) fighting humans is like child's play ...
OH RLY?
All over Avistan or wherever hellknights operate they summon devil's for training purposes. Asmodeus (who hates the mortals because the bring chaos to the otherwise orderly universe) sits in nessus thinking
"Oh well let them use my minions for training, so that they know there weaknesses when we invade the mortal world to wipe them out"
and not
"the next time someone is summoned I sent an Infernal Duke so they get more than they bargained for and this nuisance is dealt with"
Wait a minute NPCs can use whatever technical mechanisms the world offers to push their expertise and PCs are punished for doing the same.
Bottom line: I think this situation is much more delicate, because to rule "it is not possible period" is the most blunt option I use as rarely as possible, since I don't like arbitrariness and my players do neither.
On the other hand, let us say you earn the XP to place your - what - 6th level party ? all the way to 20th.
You still have 6th level (or what ever) equipment. Wizards get ONLY the few 'free' spells they earned from level advancement. And you're 'by the book' stuck at 20th level for the rest of the campaign.
You're pretty kick-butt for where you are in the campaign - and now the GM can absolutely light the group up for the rest of the Legacy of Fire as he sees fit. CR 18-23 is now your bread and butter. And you ... never ... get ... any ... more ... XP for the rest of the Legacy of Fire campaign.
Since the group 'end ran' around the normal XP structure ... well, it's not pretty.
If an encounter isn't a challenge my group gets no xp or less xp. For the Acropolis encounter, if my group hadn't left the tentacles that appeared would have been more in number and increasingly been bigger and tougher, to the point where they'd want to leave.
By the text yes it could be an xp generator but the dm has to see it and adjust accordingly.
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The Arcopolis of the Thrallkeepers can serve as an infinite XP generator.
It sure can if you really want to allow that sort of thing as a DM. If you want to stick to the script that the PCs can't wake the Havero, then what about the following:
- Though the Havero doesn't wake up, its subconscious starts to react to the constant annoyance of the PCs and starts manifesting different tentacles. The Havero write-up in the back gives rules for different types of tentacles and the PCs might not want to risk it if the creature suddenly starts sprouting Vorpal or Etherial tentacles.
- Being unable to lash out against the gnats bothering it, the tentacles start going into a blind-rage frenzy and attacking the temple structure itself. After enough time/damage the whole Acropolis collapses, resulting in no more free xp and a large group of Shoanti angry at the PCs for defiling one of their holy sites.
