|
When I gmed through RotRL there was a Community Created Content thread, I saw the one for a 6 player conversion, but I figured this would be a good place to drop mine so its not lost in the infinite archives of doom.
Area Modification to Nomen Heights - Location R. Its a chase scene with a monster fight at the end.
** spoiler omitted **...
Very cool thanks for sharing. I like it.
|
I have not seen this posted anywhere (could have missed it though), but has any DM attempted to recruit the players to work for Vordakai as his new champions/warlords in the world? If so how did it work out? I am considering offering this to my players to see if I can't convert them over to the darkside.
That would certainly be a change in how things go. Most players I've GMed for wouldn't want to be second fiddle to a fruitcake (and let's face it, Vordakai is crazy as a loon), but it's certainly worth a try.
|
|
I have not seen this posted anywhere (could have missed it though), but has any DM attempted to recruit the players to work for Vordakai as his new champions/warlords in the world? If so how did it work out? I am considering offering this to my players to see if I can't convert them over to the darkside.
My peeps would never go for that, but if I can capture them alive I would sell on it.
cantrip called detect magic. If he has intruders that he has not discerned their having departed, he doesn't seem inclined to sit on his behind and wait for them to come at him again.
This assumes something has happened to make him aware of the intrusion. If not, they'd be off the hook.
I'm aware that detect magic would be able to find the portal, I just don't see how he would "discern" that they had not departed, particularly if he thinks they are powerful enough to have access to magic such as dimension door.
And even if he believes they have not departed, he has to go pretty far out of his way to walk through the entire complex checking every room with detect magic. It seems more like an arrogant move to just go about one's business, and wait for the puny insects to come to you so that you can smash them at your easiest convenience.
cantrip called detect magic. If he has intruders that he has not discerned their having departed, he doesn't seem inclined to sit on his behind and wait for them to come at him again.
This assumes something has happened to make him aware of the intrusion. If not, they'd be off the hook.
I'm aware that detect magic would be able to find the portal, I just don't see how he would "discern" that they had not departed, particularly if he thinks they are powerful enough to have access to magic such as dimension door.
And even if he believes they have not departed, he has to go pretty far out of his way to walk through the entire complex checking every room with detect magic. It seems more like an arrogant move to just go about one's business, and wait for the puny insects to come to you so that you can smash them at your easiest convenience.
I think how arrogant Vordakai is depends entirely upon how thoroughly they trash his pad before holing up. It won't take long for him to determine if they've left recently, so the main thing are checking the main passages. I don't recall his normal spells list, but arcane sight would make a sweep n clear pretty easy.
:) Any which way, we GMs have to determine what "our" Vordakai does. My group was ~6 levels higher than scripted for, so "V" got a huge power up...
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
One of my PCs spotted Horagnamon tonight, I made my first real change to the rules, and, as they say, hijinks ensued.
The group had just laid siege to the spriggan-infested fort, but fell back when the survivors holed up inside the building and proceeded to rain rocks and Large-sized crossbow-bolt-shaped doom upon them. (They are so out for blood from their unseen foe Agai, dubbed "Ballista Guy.") The group overall (except the sorcerer) has pretty great Perception scores, so I was surprised when only the ranger, Tev, noticed one spriggan following the party. He lead the group to the smithy, where they had no actual intention of spending the night, to hopefully lead the spriggans to a false conclusion.
He told most of the party to go pretend to set up camp (which they took to mean "actually set up camp and start cooking dinner because we had to eat cold rations last night and that sucked") while he and our uber-perceiver, Saachi the oracle, kept watch outside. And that was when Saachi noticed Horagnamon.
Tev: Y'see the spriggan yet? Think he's hidin' right on the other side of the tailor's, but I ain't sure.
Saachi: :distracted, looking up at the sky: Uh, no. Still no, sorry. Hey, uh...:clearly embarrassed: Does that bird look weird to you?
Tev: :squints up at the sky: ...nope. It sure don't.
Saachi: Okay, this will sound crazy, but, I think I've seen it before, uh...watching us.
Tev: ... ..... :frowns: reckon it's prob'ly someone's familiar, then. Best be blastin' it outta the sky.
Saachi: Right! :casts Sound Burst at the bird, which is unfazed, and starts to fly away:
Tev: Aw, hell.
Saachi: :yelling and waving her arms around: Guys! Bird! Kill it! Not normal! Stop the bird!
I was so pleased as they pumped arrow after arrow into the thing, threw fire at it, and it still continued flapping away. As they dealt more damage to it, their amazement grew. "What is it? An animal companion? Somebody in Beast Shape? If it's a familiar...how many hit points does the caster have!?" My group is super sharp and rules-savvy, and they frequently make astounding leaps of logic, guess my GM schemes before I even have a chance to implement them, and just generally leave me with little I can actually use to surprise them.
The alchemist, Kalen, was chasing down the bird on foot, and the chase lead him partially up the hill the fort is on. It took the spriggans a few rounds to notice, but once they did, they started taking pot shots at him. He took an uber-bolt in the leg and reacted properly, a la Ace Ventura. :) Finally, the ill-fortuned Horagnamon plummeted to the ground, but Kalen was able to keep him from bleeding out. He headed back to the others as quickly as he could.
And then, I blew up the bird. Yes, I know it was written out of the final draft of the module that the Oculus possesses that power, but I knew the group could take it, and it just seemed like the perfect WTF capstone to the night's events.
Me: The bird's eyes shoot open all of a sudden, flashing red for the briefest of moments. The bird, to the extent that a bird can emote, has an expression of absolute horror. And then it explodes. Kalen, Rebekah, and Arturo...I need reflex saves
Kalen's Player: :bursts out laughing: Kalen mirrors the bird's expression of horror, and dives on the bird like a bomb, which, I guess it is.
So now the PCs know (based on Spellcraft to figure out what in the world just happened) that they are dealing with someone who is willing to expend a significant resource to keep it out of their hands. The sorcerer is especially disturbed, as he has had a very close and companionable bond with both his previous and current familiar, and would never consider doing such a thing.
Out of character? They're scared that their high Perception checks (they routinely get in the mid-30s) have inadvertently brought them to the attention of some end-boss from a much later module (I do always stress that this is very much a sandbox game), and are nervously and excitedly speculating about what they might be up against. I can't wait until I send the soul eater after them; I have some Game of Thrones fans in the group who are sure to see the similarity to Melisandre's shadow-creature and completely freak out. :D
I admit to having my doubts about this module initially; my group loves RP encounters and running their kingdom and collecting NPCs and so forth. After all the exploration and negotiation and seemingly endless kingdom rolls, at least to me, it's a breath of fresh air to get into a more "traditional" adventure, where the PCs are routinely pushed to their limits, and find their spell/uses-per-day powers tapped out, and they really have to stop to catch their breaths. My group is completely awesome, but they have been steamrolling most encounters besides the end bosses, and it's cool to see what they're really capable of under stress.
tl;dr - a bird with 80 HP can make even a confident group of adventurers a bit wary. And this pleases me. :)
Whew! I just read all 9 pages of this thread, in preparation for starting VV tomorrow.
So here's the questions I still have left - anyone have advice?
Looks like all said and done.
- Just to add to the first point: centaurs worship, say, a different aspect of Desna than her worshippers hailing from Avistan. If it bothers you, change her alignment to CN.
If you need stats, I've posted a build of Aecora somewhere on the boards here - I used 4d6 drop lowest for her stats and she's below WBL but, maybe you can adapt her accordingly to your group's needs.
- The water trap worries me a little, too, but since my group will be (most probably) of higher level than suggested, I do not worry too much about them having some arcane trick available to escape.
- The Eye's power over non-NE PCs would interest me as well! I need my paladin to be susceptible *evil GM grin*
- What Old Drake said - and remember to have V use it as well!
Ruyan.
* It wasn't. Flash of Insight is listed under special qualities (SQ) right above gear and below skills. I guess you missed it because of the page turn within the stat block.
Ooh, yeah. I did, and because it wasn't spelled out in the Special Abilities section. Thanks!
New question...
Why would any town have a 4 foot deep ford in the middle of it without bridging it? Especially given the climate in the stolen lands.
New question...
Why would any town have a 4 foot deep ford in the middle of it without bridging it? Especially given the climate in the stolen lands.
Heh. Why would any company/corporation/government make the sub-optimal decisions they always seem to make...
In this case, though, I think it's important to see the Varnhold settlement as primarily a military base. Varn's greatest priority was to establish a fortified stronghold, rather than to develop a prosperous village.
I'm doing this from memory, but I recall that there are very few structures on the far bank of the river. Individuals may have chosen to build their farms and shops over there, but Varn doesn't have to have supported them by building a bridge.
Unfortunately, the larger hex map indicates the main road north is also on that far side of the river - so anyone traveling north has to cross the ford. That only makes sense if you consider that Varn's patrols aren't usually sent along the road as much as they're sent out into the countryside - but it's still very odd. Military preparedness would tend to insist on securing or building the roads/bridges necessary to protect their area.
Which leads to another question - why weren't there any patrols out when everyone else vanished? You'd think there'd almost always be a military patrol or a routine supply run somewhere outside of town, and they would discover the issue before the PCs have time to respond to mere "lack of contact."
I'm figuring everyone was in town for a festival or something.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So apparently meeting a tribe of centaurs equals an opportunity for my players/PCs to make endless equine-themed jokes and puns.
"Hold your horses!" "Quit horsing around." "Let's hoof it back to camp." And so many more. So very many more. :P
At least they are enthused about rescuing the rebellious daughter centaur...although they hope to fix her up with an NPC cavalier with a soft spot for horses and other animals. I'm sure that's just a match made in heaven... "I think she is very pretty and nice and thank you for introducing us but now I am confused whether I should kiss her or curry her and I do not think that is making her very happy."
At least they are enthused about rescuing the rebellious daughter centaur...although they hope to fix her up with an NPC cavalier with a soft spot for horses and other animals. I'm sure that's just a match made in heaven... "I think she is very pretty and nice and thank you for introducing us but now I am confused whether I should kiss her or curry her and I do not think that is making her very happy."
"Or whether they were really introducing her to my horse..."
|
|
At least they are enthused about rescuing the rebellious daughter centaur...although they hope to fix her up with an NPC cavalier with a soft spot for horses and other animals. I'm sure that's just a match made in heaven... "I think she is very pretty and nice and thank you for introducing us but now I am confused whether I should kiss her or curry her and I do not think that is making her very happy.""Or whether they were really introducing her to my horse..."
LOL, exactly. He's a bit dim, I could see that misunderstanding occurring as well.
In my game, any item worth less than 4k does not add to BP at all - the PCs are free to buy (or sell) it via KM kingdom building rules and that's it.
With all the downtime and the possibilities I did not feel inclined to award them twice.
It's tough times in the Stolen Lands!
Ruyan.
My PC's kingdom is LG and run by a pally and a cleric - no withdrawing.
The topic of getting paid has occured a couple of times at my table as well, makes me laugh every time.
Ruyan.
The 2k per month / 11 total is less than the nominal value of the top tier cost of living (which runs ~200 gp a month if memory serves).
Why not designate that they get that standard of living gratis as part of being large and in charge? They won't be bleeding cash between adventures, they can stock up on 'mundane' items easily enough and gives you a reason to put the kabosh on the cash withdrawals.
|
|
My PC's kingdom is LG and run by a pally and a cleric - no withdrawing.
The topic of getting paid has occured a couple of times at my table as well, makes me laugh every time.
Ruyan.
Are you saying they are not allowed to get paid? That seems counter intuitive. Just don't let them go crazy. A grand each a month or something like that. Even their subjects would expect their leaders to get paid for crying out loud. Most leaders aren't supposed to 'adventure'. That's what adventurers and mercenaries are for!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
They get paid - they get literally palatial digs to kip in, they have scores of servants doing all the annoying stuff like cleaning, laundry, walking the war dogs, sitting the gobs of squalling brats climbing the tapestries, sorting the hate mail, etc. etc. etc. On top of all this they get the best chow in the kingdom, the nicest clothes, jewelry to include crowns, circlets, numerous signet rings and of course ... hookers and blow. They can scarf anything worth 10 gp or less without limit (if memory serves.)
All for only working 1 week out of every 4, what's not to like! (Excepting during times of war, then they're supposedly large and in charge.)
I'd say they get paid *plenty*. ^__^
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yea. For example they can load up on full quivers of arrows and such for free and get replacement normal level swords and armor. Rope? Rations? Sure.
The Piscodaemon is summoned yet I still certain I give players exp for it?
|
I would treat the daemon more like a trap and allot CR for either "solving" it or slaying it. Given that the "summons" is via artifact, has a duration that exceeds most normal summons, and not a part of any battle with Vordakai, it stands by itself for XP grants.
James Jacobs in an old thread on summons and XP discussed using GM sense to allot XP when summons are used in atypical ways outside of a combat. His example was a vrock summoning another vrock to attack the party each day while staying out of battle itself. Would grant XP as it's really a challenge separate from combat with the summoner. In combat, when the summoner can be targeted, would make sense to not grant extra XP.
The piscodaemon is summoned to the material plane via a calling - thus I'd give full XP for overcoming it.
On the other hand these monsters used by V can be a little helper in adjusting XP if your group is already beyond what's suggested by the AP.
Ruyan.
Running Varnhold, having a bit of a problem.
The party have investigated the town, read the books, killed the spriggans, and then went home to their kingdom for the upkeep week.
They do not appear to have any interest in returning.
They were asked to look into it by an character in Restov, and as far as they seem to be concerned, they have. Certainly no interest in following up these centaur hooks, no concern about the villagers (having made the not inconceivable assumption that they are long dead), and no real sense that it is their problem (Restov is closer to Varnhold anyway, they'll have to deal with whatever it was that did it).
They have a small kingdom, with just one city.
They have killed the familiar.
How do I salvage this? Vordecai's dungeon is basically the high point for me.
Did you give them a copy of the letter from the leaders of Restov asking the PC's to fond out what happened to Varnhold & the messengers/investigators from Restov?
And where everyone from Varnhold is!
And make sure that whatever horrible thing happened DOES NOT come to Rostland or to the PC's kingdom!
And now that Varnhold is gone would you please take over the Dunsward and deal with the centaur problem!
If not remind them, and then just have people start disappearing from whatever kingdom hex is closest to Varnhold!
Each kingdom hex has about 250 people, just take 1D6 dozen people from that hex each month and add them to where the people from Varnhold are.
Repeat each month until kingdom hex is empty, then start on the next closest hex.
Let them do some divinations, then put them on the clock, rescue YOUR people before they really die.
Not only is Varnhold empty, the PC's should find all of Varnhold's hexes empty.
The PC's should pass through a couple of farmland hexes on the road that have scattered farms and are eerily empty. Just like Varnhold.
You need to point it out that their kingdom is next, and then Rostland, and then Brevoy.
Has Vordakai sicced the Soul Eater on them yet? THAT'LL get their attention.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You could also have undead appear at their borders over time attacking outlying farm steads etc. I'd give them ~1 month before the dread zombie cyclopes show up. If they investigate throw in the soul eater and 2-3 zombies.
As Orthos already said that should get their attention.
Another idea could be to send a recurring nightmare to one of the players - maybe with religious background - showing a robed humanoid (Charon) ferrying ghostly humanoids (souls) over a river (Styx).
Ruyan.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
An 'Undead Uprising' (not-so-)natural disaster should get their attention, and it's easily tailored to the level & abilities of your PCs.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
hehehe - all those old bodies under the Stag Lord's fort. That would be right in the middle of my party's town ... That would certainly get their attention :)
(although we will only starting VV tomorrow evening)
That's what happened in my campaign - the PCs had started building their town, went adventuring and half of their subjects got slaughtered by the ghouls (and ghasts) - G will be pleased!
Ruyan.
My party are going to be finishing up in Vordakai's Tomb this week.
They still have to go back and rescue Xamanthe - but after that they will pretty much be left alone in the tomb. OK they have a Centaur, A sage, a farmer, a little girl and a bunch of Soul Jars for company - but they have also carefully skirted abound a whole bunch of places.
One of which is The Oculus Chamber. With its overwhelming auras of divination and conjuring - and what looks like a summoning circle on the floor under a focus of some sort.
I feel that it shouldn't be an easy room to 'deactivate'. Normal shrines can be trashed, purified, hallowed etc .. But this feels like it should be something more powerful that just a normal shrine ....
Perhaps not full artefact level, but not something straight forward.
Has anyone else done anything with it?
One thing you could do would be to make it empowered as per a normal shrine... but it was crafted at the height of Vordakai's power, back when he was a 20th-level wizard, before his sleeping torpor atrophied him. And unlike the lich, the wards and enchantments have maintained their thoroughness.
They'll be able to deactivate it, but it'll be harder than they might be expecting after facing a 9th-level wizard. Whereas another high-level caster would be able to just deactivate it using the normal methods, the DCs should probably be out of reach of the party's resources as per now. Perhaps they can use a ritual of some sort, though, to pump up their caster level to be enough to challenge Vordakai's old magic. Get in Jhod and any other good-aligned casters they have on call, maybe ask the Old Beldame for some resources, request Aecora's aid after rescuing Xamanthe, see if they have a surviving cleric from Varnhold, etc. etc. etc., until they have enough people gathered together to take this thing out.
Thanks.
However, It was there before Vordakai - he found the Oculus there and it detects as Overwhelming magic. That was the first thing they did when they went in there, so I can't degrade it now. Somehow, I need a way around that.
I might just use the same technique as destroying the Oculus - they both detect at about the same power level, and they are clearly linked.
Ah right, sorry I didn't have my books open at the time I posted that and it's been a while since I read through so I mistakenly presumed it was something V made himself.
In that case, it's possibly ancient daemon magic - perhaps the place was an outpost of theirs, or one of their earliest shrines among mortals. A ritual is still a prime way of getting rid of it, cranking up a sufficient caster level to nuke down the effects, but I might require them to solicit celestial aid, bringing in a force of good capable of opposing an evil so ancient.
And of course, any mortals messing with magic of that caliber is going to attract unwanted attention. So the non-casters in the party may find themselves by necessity on guard duty, for when unhappy daemons show up to stop whoever's messing with their mojo.
*grin* The Cleric of Iomedae cast protection from Evil whilst in the middle of it. The were teleported into it, don't you know ;) As soon as the spell was completed, he was thrown out of the circle, hit the side wall upside down, and took 3d6 of damage from the impact.
They left soon afterwards, deciding to leave it for another day. I suspect I will let it be destroyed when they destroy the Oculus itself.