Demogorgon has been killed tonight.
We began the campaign 7.4.2008. and after 44 sessions, we finished it. Ingame time has been 10.5 months, average session has lasted about 5 hours (never longer than 6, never shorter than 4).
It was a really epic combat, and that was the most important thing, since I feared it would drag on too long, that it would be taxing, but in the end, everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats.
Demogorgon had Nulonga-As-Vanthus and a Balor at his side, the party had Gwynharwyf.
My Demogorgon had 6 negative levels (even though the party did everything, I just didn't want him to be that weak) and a Belt of Magnificence and following spells: Protection from Good, Sheltered Vitality, Ray Deflection, Unholy Aura. Instead of Quickened Feeblemind (spellcasters had Mindblank anyways) I gave him Quickened Heal.
The party is:
Artholor - Half-Elf Bard 15/Seeker of the Song 5
Ascard - Human Rogue 5/Ranger 2/Dervish 10/Tempest 3
Gimdin - Dwarf Druid 20
Khatran - Human Conjurer 5/Master Specialist 10/Archmage 5
Sergor - Human Transmuter 6/Swiftblade 10/Abjurant Champion 4
Sol - Half-Celestial Cleric 6/Radiant Servant of Pelor 10
The combat lasted 7 rounds. With some significant healing on their side they managed to withstand his full attacks, but the things went downhill when Demogorgon killed the Cleric, Balor's Death Throes killed the Swiftblade (who did insane damage), but by that time Demogorgon also used up all his 3 Heals. 6th round ended with Demogorgon brought down to ONE HIT POINT, Dervish had 16 and Druid had about 100, with no dice fudging on my side. First in the round was the Bard, second Demogorgon, meaning if he somehow didn't kill him, Demogorgon would kill them all. At that moment they remembered that Bard had Ring of Three Wishes from Redfang, so he used up one Wish to cast Flame Strike. Bard rolled natural 20 on SR check and killed him.
Obox-Ob regained the title of Prince of Demons. He had a bigger role in my campaign, so he got to roll too. Some party members wanted to also, but against the other candidates the didn't really had the chance, EXCEPT the bard (he had +48) who didn't want to roll.
So, I am very very pleased with how the battle and the campaign on the whole turned out.
Congratulations on a job well done! :)
(Meanwhile, I still haven't got around to starting mine - too many other RPG irons in the fire ...)
Do you have any useful advice/comments to share on either the final fight or the entire adventure path as a whole? I'm always eager to hear about potential problems and how others have solved them.
By the way, who was Malcanthet's proxy in that party? If the bard had a choice, then it sounds like it wasn't him.
Nope, Druid was Malcanthet's Proxy, and with his Charisma 11, didn't have much chance. :P
Hm, advice. Tricky question. You have to adjust Demogorgon to your party. As written, he was too weak for my party, and since any adventuring group worth its salt will have Mass Death Wards on them, that will negate both Rot and Energy drain, his two most devastating attacks. So, the best advice I can give you is wait until the final battle and you play a tryout battle (by then you'll pretty much know what the party would be doing) and see how it goes and then adjust accordingly.
Thanks for the info, Erevis. I'm currently getting ready to start CoBi, but we only play 3 hours every 2 weeks so we move at a glacial place.
One thing though, I don't think that death ward stops his rot ability. It's not described as a negative energy effect, is it?
Well, now I feel like an idiot, because you're right, it doesn't. :D Don't think it would have mattered much, because Swiftblade had Stone Body on, and both Druid and Dervish had Fort saves bigger than +30.
I must have mixed up Death Ward and Stone Body, that's what happens when you're keeping track of about 20-30 active spells. :/ But, maybe it's better this way, because it was really a close call whether they won or lost, and I'm glad they won by the skin of their teeth.
Well, from what I've seen on this forum, around 50 is average.
And as much as I love the story, the setting, NPCs and bosses, there are a lot of encouters that are garbage. Over and over the same creatures with buffed up HD (Oozes, I have no idea why Paizo loves oozes that much) or just in bigger numbers and then they're just annoying, so I changed around 50% of them into something cooler and actually challenging or just plain out removed it from campaign, especially in the last two chapters, so that might have sped things up.
Sheltered Vitality, if that spell is in your campaign, puts the Big D's primary attack in the slammer.
Like I said, Turin, I thought Death Ward blocked Rot, so it was in the slammer anyways. :D
What were the highs and lows for your group?
There is no Honor
As with every beginning, it was cute and unremarkable.Bullywug Gambit
Basically the same as above, with the added bonus of Bullywugs being ridiculous opponents, so again unremarkable.
Sea Wyvern's Wake
They really enjoyed sailing and encounters with Rowyn, Blue Slaad and Living Sargasso and the general feel of the long journey on the boat.
Here There Be Monsters
Up until Fogmire, the chapter is basically a series of random encounters and Olangru didn't really scare them (medium sized demon monkey isn't really imposing), so aside from Fogmire itself (not Demogorgon's temple), not an intresting chapter.
Tides of Dread
They enjoyed exploring Isle of Dread and preparing for invasion and also encounter with Zotzilaha was awesome (they were really scared of him). Only the fight with Vanthus was a bit of a let-down, but overall a nice chapter.
Lightless Depths
The trek underground was intresting and ruins of Golismorga also, but Koprus weren't intresting enemies to them (I, too, find the idea of the aquatic creatures flying around with Potions of Fly a bit stupid), so an average chapter, I'd say.
City of Broken Idols
When Skinwalkers were first mentiond, my players thought they were some kind of Demonic Lycanthropes which sounded really awesome and were kind of disappointed with the real thing. Encounters, as written, were really really boring (another TEN flying Koprus, really paizo?), so I had to change a lot. One of the rare artifact weapons in the campaign is completely useless against Demons, so aside from Khala, a boring chapter.
Serpents of Scuttlecove
Really intresting chapter. I did a good job on representing how horrible Scuttlecove really is and half of the party found it revolting, the other half intresting (Tyralandi's Brothel especially :D). I also replaced Bar-Lgura Bloodhounds and Yuan-Ti Assassins with a rival party of NPCs. Party vs party fight was a memoralbe one. Also, the attack on the Wreck was cool and fight with The Seventh and her bodyguards (I replaced Yuan-Ti Assassins with Yuan-Ti Abominations with Grafts that Seventh gave them) was really tense and one of the best in the campaign.
Into the Maw
The part about sailing the Abyssal ocean was cool, I guess I described it ok and the encounter with Blood Fiends was awesome, but things went downhill when they arrived in Divided's Ire. Again the same foes (Hezrous, Vrocks and Lemorian Golem (at this point the campaign started to look like those old arcade games where bosses from first levels reapper as mooks in the later part of the game)) and party didn't really want to chat with any of the Demonic Bosses in there, so they just ploughed through. Encounter with Vanthus was ok, though, but I had to heavily modify him. With Vanthus dead(er), Orgosh regained the control of his undead army and they didn't want to mess with him, so they actually talked with him and it was an ok encounter.
Wells of Darkness
Like I said in another topic, the worst chapter. Endless stream of random encounters, of which I cut 90% because I just wanted to get on with the story, since it was clearly just a filler chapter.
Enemies of my Enemy
Fantastic chapter. Encounter with Orcus, Obox-Ob, Iggwilv, Charon, Malcanthet and Gwynharwyf were heavily roleplayed, really intresting and epic in scope.
Prince of Demons
Planning of the attack lasted for one whole session, so a cool part of the chapter, but since endless stream of random encounters is really pointless in this part of campaign (Chasme Sentinels, Ghast Archers and the rest weren't worth rolling their initiative), I removed the most and left only the fight with Tetradarian and Gromsfed and Ghorvash (whom I made to be a Molydeus with a contigent of Ghast archers. The fight lasted for a round and a half). I saw no point in him impersonating Lavinia and since we played Shackled City, the encounters with Glabrezus were getting boring, so I changed him into something they didn't fight so far. Kargoth is yet another example of villain recycling (he's Vanthus 2.0 basically), Ulu-thurug also, and I removed them. The party didn't know who Kargoth is anyways, so no fluff damage there.
And like I said, encounter with Demogorgon was nothing short of epic.
High points: Sea Wyvern's Wake, Serpents of Scuttlecove, Enemies of My Enemy and Prince of Demons.
Low points: City of Broken Idols, Into the Maw, Wells of Darkness.
I hope that answers your question. :D
What were the highs and lows for your group?
Campaign Journal tells all. :P
Campaign Journal tells all. :P
What were the highs and lows for your group?
Link please?!
Link please?!Campaign Journal tells all. :P
What were the highs and lows for your group?