Drawing exclusively from previously published adventures in modules or magazines, what encounters would you import to a Test of the Starstone?
Based on the miracles of Iomedea, I figure they'd be tests impossible to accomplish except by DM fiat alone. Just traversing the gap should be impossible: no magic, no help, just start walking. If you're "supposed to make it," then a "miracle" happens and you make it across.
One test could be to get to walk through some element, or all of them at lethal damage, but having no special abilities to withstand any element.
Walk through a hallway of cut glass without bleeding.
Drink from an infinitely replenishing fountain until you dry it up.
I think it depends enormously on how many players there are.
If run for one player, I think the tests should be focussed on whatever domains the emerging deity is going to claim. If you're going to end up a god of battle, the test of the starstone should feature battles. If you're going to be the god of lust your tests will be less traditional.
If a party of adventurers are going to do it together, I think I would run with the idea of making each of them 'aspects' of the ultimate emerging deity. That way there could be a variety of scenarios, each giving each PC some time to shine.
Not very helpful I guess - I ended up stopping thinking about it in the hope that when Paizo get around to epic rules, one of the things they'll provide is a 'Test of the Starstone' module.
Drawing exclusively from previously published adventures in modules or magazines, what encounters would you import to a Test of the Starstone?
Everything from "What if the players fail" in the Adventure Paths! :)
In my own case, I've got a one PC campaign, so I don't have to worry about it, but yes, a combo-godling for a party would fit.
I was thinking of Test of Strength from Kingmaker 4, scaled to level, as being one encounter type that I'd use. Anyone got any others from other Dungeon, AP or module sources?
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I was thinking of Test of Strength from Kingmaker 4, scaled to level, as being one encounter type that I'd use. Anyone got any others from other Dungeon, AP or module sources?
Is a test of Strength really an appropriate test for divine transcendence?
I have trouble guessing what internal qualities the Starstone is looking for in candidates, but if I were writing this story it would be some kind of test of mental fortitude to determine if they can handle the Power Cosmic without, you know, exploding or something.
My thinking was:
1. Divinities, in game terms, have a wide array of awesome stats. Basic tests of awesomeness should be a part of it.
2. A Test of the Starstone could include a variety of tests to determine not only THAT you are a divinity, but also WHAT KIND of god you will be, what portfolios you will have. How you conquer tests of abilities helps indicate your character. A goddess of luck, for example, might kick a pebble at a boulder, setting off a chain reaction that leads to the boulder being moved without much effort on her part, while a god of brawn might pick up the boulder and move it, etc..
I'm a big believer that one of the biggest components, if not the biggest, must revolve around the PC's Alignment and potential Divine Portfolio.
Got any published encounters that would work for testing those aspects?
Here's an idea you might like.
Have the test be a series of challenges, but also choices.
For example. they walk into a room and there are five archways. The first is rhimed in ice, the second is glowing red and gives off heat. The center one (third) is just a plain archway of the same plain stone the rest of the room and entering hallway is from. The fourth archway has white stones and there's a strong wind coming through it, and the fourth archway is made of a sturdy looking brown stone and has a steady stream of sand dropping down forming a curtain in it.
If they take the ice corridor next, they gain the Water or Ice domain (depending on your worlds cosmology). If they take the glowing red one, Fire. Sand = Earth, howling wind = Air. If they take the center door that's normal, they bypass all those. In the corridor, give them a choice of 'items' that represent some portfolios that go with each domain.
The next chamber might have a archway with a glowing white portal (Life), a light absorbing black portal (Death), and a normal archway in the middle. Again, their choice affects them. Certain choices could affect their alignment, of course. ;)
If they're going to get, say, 3 domains, and 6 portfolios, then do Challenge Room, Domain Room, Challenge Room, Domain Room, Challenge Room, Domain Room, Divinity Ascendant Room. :)
You can map out what each choice in Domain Room A allows in Domain Room B, and then further on into C. Takes a little bit of setup, but it's worth it (I've done this in a game before).
I recommend a room that pulls from major people in the character's history. Give them visions of their own past, and how they deal with them is up to them. People they have wronged shouting at them from hell, people they have failed to save. If they don't somehow deal with them, they coninue to haunt them and interfere with later tests. You can give various bonuses or penalties depending on how they get finally resolved, and this way make later challenges almost impossible without these bonuses. For instance, because you came to terms and realized that the bully drove you to protect others, you get a +5 when defending someone.
Perhaps a room filled with the faces of everyone they have ever killed, and they have to walk through the rotting corpses. Rooms designed to test your heart or break you.
These things can be trivial challenges in a lower roleplay game though.
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I'm a big believer that one of the biggest components, if not the biggest, must revolve around the PC's Alignment and potential Divine Portfolio.
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Got any published encounters that would work for testing those aspects?
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Yikes, I wasn't expecting that question.
(I'm also a big believer that if the DM is gonna allow a PC to ascend to godhood, it should be Homebrew). . . .
But, off the top of my head, with HEAVY modification, maybe
"The Whale" from Dungeon 35, by Wolfgang Baur.
"Diplomacy" from Dungeon er, "145ish" by "someone."
"Razing Redshore" from Dungeon "93ish" by James Jacobs.
If I remember correctly,. . .
In "The Whale" the PCs hear of a beached whale and some of the locals want to rescue it and some want to kill it and use its resources; all the locals are good aligned. The PCs have to decide what to do. In a Starstone Test maybe the PC has to deal with this -- if the PC chooses to support the "rescuer" locals they become his "church" and he gets an appropriate portfolio. And vice/versa if he chooses the the harvesters. Not to mention the fact that he's gotta actually deal with this giant whale.
In "Dipomacy," Epic level PCs have to arbitrate the ownership of a recently discovered demiplane between a variety of Epic level interested "buyer-kingdoms." I think a PC, in a Starstone Test, could have to deal with the same situation, ultimately choosing what argument from interested parties is best for him. Thus determining what the ascended PC's worshippers would be. And then have the discovered demiplane as his Plane. But this is more of a framework to play with, not a specific encounter.
In "Razing Redshore" an Awakened whale was, long long ago, chosen to guard some "big deal" but "something's" recently happened to make the whale attack a big port city. The Epic level PCs have to figure out what is razing the city of Redshore and will learn that the whale was a god-level Druid's guardian.... When a PC in a Starstone Test learns something like this he has to decide if he's gonna save Redshore or help the whale (and what the god-Druid had) and restore the balance.
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I also think there's a couple adventures that may seem to work but may actually not,
"Test of the Smoking Eye" in Dungeon 104 by, um, I think Tito Leati.
"Lady of the Mists" in Dungeon 42 by Peter Aberg.
In Smoking Eye PCs go to the 507th Layer of the Abyss (Occipitus) to run an obstacle course that, when completed, transformes the comleter into the Ruler of the Layer (gets a Template). Sounds perfect but it's pretty low level and there's no Alignment stuff at all. Still, it's worth a look.
The "Lady of the Mists" is some chick who, a bajillion years ago, made a potion that let her and her friends live forever. Now, a bajillion years later, the potions are wearing off and one of her friends (a real a&% h@~#) rushes to her island to get another potion -- the PCs are asked to chase down this political "criminal" and kill him. . . . Again, on the surface an adventure about a potion that makes you live forever seems appropriate -- but again, there's no real Alignment thing here. Still, it's a great adventure.
All in all, I think it'd be better to, both DM and Player, get together and discuss the specific alignment dilemmas and portfolio possibilities -- and then the DM go through the old adventures and look for appropriate material.
Great suggestions.
Whatever it may be, it must be epic. To cut the chaff from the wheat I would let them start with "killing" the Tarrasque. This seems a nice entry level encounter that would explain that even the ones who could overcome the chasm are most often never seen again.
Thanks for the advice, people! I'm going to go with an Indiana Jones theme, complete with globe-trotting, artifacts that belong in a museum and a final showdown in the Starstone itself.