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I have a question about the alignment of the scythe, given that it is haunted. Should detect undead notice it? could a paladin's smite affect it?
Given the logic of the scenario, disregarding what RAW would say, I would say yes, and yes.
Yes, because an "undead" spirit is haunting the scythe.
Yes, because the paladin's channel smite is bypassing the scythe/hardness entirely and attacking the spirit directly.
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How has the module timeline been working out for people? ..
My Party rested in in Harrowstone, no problems, HOWEVER only in the Wadens Office. But They didnt do it next time around as the Zombie attach on Kendras place (Hi Daughter ..Guess who is home?) rattled her and made the PC come back "home".
So 2 weeks to spare...let them roleplay a bit, rest, Timeskipp to the day/week before they leave Ravengro. You can use the time to do some XP-raising if they miss anythink, or carfting of portions etc.
The 100miles can take from 4 days to as long as you like, also depends if you want any other XP-Raisers on the way or if you build them into the 2 weeks in Ravengro. Also may depend on the way they go. Check my GM material for TotB or MartinB's Site..there is a map for travel.
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Its all about pacing - some parties just dive into Harrowstone like its a big dungeon and ignore the town. Some GMs let them, mores the pity as the town is as much part of the story as the prison.
In my campaign, before the PCs headed to Harrowstone, a few days after arriving in Ravengro, I ran almost all the optional events described in the book (including, of course, the town hall meeting) and added a fair amount of my own local color. The players have definitely interacted with the NPCs in town and I don't feel like the town isn't a presence in the game. They were very successful in quickly pegging Gibs as the culprit, so that didn't take too long in game time. I may have let them do the research too quickly. On the whole, I didn't feel a great need to stretch things out in town with mundane tasks, especially since there is a lot of exciting AP to get to. We can play only 3 or so hours every other week, so I don't feel any need to draw things out more than necessary.
I decided to dump the trust system, which seemed really contrived to me. I guess the trust system can draw things out by making it harder to get access to research facilities, etc. But I felt that it didn't make sense to throw barriers to research facilities due to "trust" where the PCs had just found the culprit for the desecration and defended the town from zombies, stirges, and flaming skulls.
Harrowstone has a strong pull, and I only kept my PCs from heading straight there by basically making a local ordinance prohibiting people from messing with the prison. I think this makes a great deal of sense, and the local's main concern is people going up to the prison and stirring up the spirits. After admirably defending the town through several encounters, and saving the town hall, they got leave from the town council to take on the prison because it became clear that ignoring the source of the problem was not a viable option... Of course, as they will come back to the town to rest, that will allow some additional interactions in town.
I definitely agree GMs should stop their players from running right off to the prison, and I think my local ordinance solution made a lot of sense and worked really well in that regard. But I think to draw things out many more days would feel artificial, since it is clear the PCs need to figure out what is going on down at the prison.
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As a delay factor you can always have kendra create busy work for the party, they are helping her sort out loose ends. So maybe she needs one part member to sit with the solicitor for a day and just go over the ledgers and make sure all her fathers debts are in order. Maybe she asks the strong looking guys to clear out her fathers cellar.
She may gang them into helping her fix the roof. They are getting WELL paid to do what ever she asks, so make s@*& up to keep them to busy to go back to harrowstone.
I also abandoned the trust mechanic. After the events of the town hall I just had the town decide these outsiders weren't so bad and we probably need to work with them if we want help. Seems more logical to me that way anyway.
I also abandoned the trust mechanic for the most part. They made friendly contacts with the movers and shakers in town (the Council, Father Grimburrow) and after a few days of "getting to know them" and letting the queer events play out across town these contacts decided that they'd rather let someone who might be able to help do what they needed rather than continue to stand stubbornly in their way.
That might be a failure of my imagination when playing the town up as a creepy, insular bunch of gossips but I was also trying hard not to completely alienate the party from the town.
I liked the Trust Mechanic as a guideline of how interactions might go but I also dislike extra bookwork.
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I'm getting ready to run this pretty soon and have decided to alter a few things:
1. The journal is already in Kendras possession. She is reading over it to remember her father. So the pcs won't get access to it straight away as I know they will head straight for harrowstone.
2. I am going to coincide the zombie uprise with the second letter that gets written. If the pcs are at Kendras then she will answer a knock at the door and it will be her undead father. He loses the bite attack due to half his jaw being crushed.
3. At this point Kendra will point the pcs towards the cache while she researches the ww in her library having gotten up to the later entries and realizing his death might not have been an accident. When they come back she will ask them to confirm her research (she can fill in any gaps) at this point she will hand over the journal and this should send the pcs at harrowstone like an arrow while giving them time in the city to let most of the haunts occur.
That's the plan anyway. I'll see how the pcs derail it.
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I'm using the trust mechanic, but I'm also kinda handing out trust points like candy at a parade. It's given my players a little more incentive to stick around in town rather than just bee-line for the prison.
I also took the recommendation from someone upthread to have Kendra hold onto the journal and dole out the entries to the players (though once they were mostly done researching in the town I gave them the whole sheet). That was a good move. It really added to the sense of mystery and discovery, rather than just having a big ol' exposition dump right at the start.
They're just about ready to seriously venture into the prison for the first time, and the town meeting has been scheduled for a couple nights away...
I'm a little worried about the scythe, too. I've taken the precaution of giving the barkeep a tankard made of adamantine (good thing one of my players took the Catch Off-Guard feat!) just in case they need a little help.
As long as there is someone in the party that can channel energy, ideally aided by some disrupt undead cantrips, the scythe will be fine for your PCs. You may want to give them a knowledge arcana or religion roll to recognize its vulnerability to positive energy (which might logically occur to them due to the fact that the scythe is animated by the spirits of the executed).
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I'm a little worried about the scythe, too. I've taken the precaution of giving the barkeep a tankard made of adamantine (good thing one of my players took the Catch Off-Guard feat!) just in case they need a little help.As long as there is someone in the party that can channel energy, ideally aided by some disrupt undead cantrips, the scythe will be fine for your PCs. You may want to give them a knowledge arcana or religion roll to recognize its vulnerability to positive energy (which might logically occur to them due to the fact that the scythe is animated by the spirits of the executed).
Yeah, there isn't. It's a 3-man party, with a trip-focused fighter, a knife master rogue, and a witch. No positive channeling to be had, except for the witch's ability to prep Cure Light Wounds.
Hence the adamantine tankard - which honestly, I think is a really fun little touch!
Yeah, there isn't. It's a 3-man party, with a trip-focused fighter, a knife master rogue, and a witch. No positive channeling to be had, except for the witch's ability to prep Cure Light Wounds.
Oof. I wouldn't just worry about the scythe. I would seriously worry about this party surviving probably half the dangerous encounters in the module! For example, without a cleric or at least a disrupt undead using wizard, if all your PCs use pointy weapons, they are going to have a heck of a time with the skeletons.
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How has the module timeline been working out for people? After 3 days/nights, I ran all the encounters in Ravengro and the players did a most of the research. Presumably they'll take some time with Harrowstone, since the cleric will be burning through her channel energies and will need to rest overnight to recover...
(On that note, have people had parties try to rest overnight in the prison? How have you discouraged that?)
In regards to sleeping in the prison, remember that S4: Warden's Office is a place specifically listed as one where the spirits stay away from and is suggested as a safe place for people to rest. I intend on emphasizing this (with some flavor thing like as you walk into this room there is an immediate sense of relief, as the weight of the prison is lifted from your shoulders. The air seems clearer and the sense of foreboding is gone ... or something to that effect.)
In regards to sleeping in the prison, remember that S4: Warden's Office is a place specifically listed as one where the spirits stay away from and is suggested as a safe place for people to rest. I intend on emphasizing this (with some flavor thing like as you walk into this room there is an immediate sense of relief, as the weight of the prison is lifted from your shoulders. The air seems clearer and the sense of foreboding is gone ... or something to that effect.)
Good idea. At the moment, the idea of getting them back to town regularly is a good thing, but if it becomes a drag that is a nice way to communicate the availability of the option of resting in the office.
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In regards to sleeping in the prison, remember that S4: Warden's Office is a place specifically listed as one where the spirits stay away from and is suggested as a safe place for people to rest. I intend on emphasizing this (with some flavor thing like as you walk into this room there is an immediate sense of relief, as the weight of the prison is lifted from your shoulders. The air seems clearer and the sense of foreboding is gone ... or something to that effect.)Good idea. At the moment, the idea of getting them back to town regularly is a good thing, but if it becomes a drag that is a nice way to communicate the availability of the option of resting in the office.
With the prison only being a few miles from town, it would have to be real big for it to be a drag. If its taking the party a few days to clear out levels 1 & 2, and they're resting on site, perhaps the Professor comes to visit while the party's not at Kendra's, and in the middle of the night a runner is standing outside the prison grounds, hollering for the party to return and console the girl.
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Oof. I wouldn't just worry about the scythe. I would seriously worry about this party surviving probably half the dangerous encounters in the module! For example, without a cleric or at least a disrupt undead using wizard, if all your PCs use pointy weapons, they are going to have a heck of a time with the skeletons.
Yeah, there isn't. It's a 3-man party, with a trip-focused fighter, a knife master rogue, and a witch. No positive channeling to be had, except for the witch's ability to prep Cure Light Wounds.
They did indeed, just yesterday. Three skeletons from the pool, no PCs with bludgeoning weapons (well, the fighter had a shovel, but he insisted on sticking with the scythe). Four hit points is plenty with DR 5. :P
The fighter went down in round three (did I mention that he only has a 10 on Con, with a 25-point buy?), with two skeletons still left. I was nice and gave them an extra round before the skeletons burst into flames, and advised them in no uncertain terms that this was the time to start breaking out the holy water. They barely made it, and carted the fighter back to town for healing. All the townspeople seeing them get pounded like that cost them some trust, though.
Hopefully this will make them think harder about preparing a little better next time.
Also, I made up a drinking game between the barkeep and the fighter so that he could win the adamantine tankard. The fighter wagered his masterwork scythe -- and promptly lost.
This question was posed earlier but never answered.
In the information on Father Charlatan's haunt, it says that "the haunt targets a single person (either the first person to touch Father Charlatan’s journal or his remains, or the last person to attempt
to leave the cell)..."
This is the only mention of Father Charlatan's journal. Was it removed from the adventure and this was overlooked?
I noticed that as well (no journal in room description) I just decided that the haunt would affect the PC who decided to kick the FC's skull across the room. That worked. I'd say first perception check or anyone how touches the chain weights.
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This question was posed earlier but never answered.
In the information on Father Charlatan's haunt, it says that "the haunt targets a single person (either the first person to touch Father Charlatan’s journal or his remains, or the last person to attempt
to leave the cell)..."This is the only mention of Father Charlatan's journal. Was it removed from the adventure and this was overlooked?
I'd have the journal be present, but the moment someone opens it in an attempt to read from its pages, the book disintegrates and is blown away by a mystical blast of wind. It seems cliche' but should work so as not to make you do the additional work of coming up with entries for it.
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The group started Carrion Crown Saturday... for those that don't know my players' PCs consisted of the following:
N gnome (bleachling) Rogue (knife master)
N human (Lergeni) Rogue (knife master)
N human (Shoanti) Wolf Shifter (from Wayfinder 5)
NG human (Chelish) fighter
?? dhampir sorcerer (boreal bloodline); player hasn't figured out alignment yet
LG human (Ulfen) paladin
One of the True Neutrals changed their alignment to Chaotic Neutral (the Shoanti Wolf Shifter), and we picked up a new player as well: a CG half-orc ranger with both the Skirmisher and Warden archetypes as well as the Hunter's Blood trait. So now I'm dealing with seven players...fun times!!
I didn't kick things off with the funeral. Things started with the group arriving in town a day before and meeting at The Laughing Demon. While there, I had them encounter a modified Company of the Black Banner (who were resting in Ravengro before heading on to Lepidstadt to participate in the hunting of The Beast) and a DMPC in the form of Varisin named Kazallin, a dual cursed oracle (clouded vision and wasting) of Pharasma. Grelm (who I made a Nirmanthi irregular and a skirmisher) was trying to pick a fight with the oracle. The Shoanti, who was sitting at the same table as Kazallin, took exception to the ranger's cowardly actions and stood up to face Grelm. Showing that he was not completely defenseless, the oracle craftily maneuvered his staff into position and used it to deliver a shot to the ranger's groin. Stinging from the blow, Grelm sat down to recover, but this allowed Nirashi (who I made a dhampir hungry ghost monk) to tag in and she fought the Shoanti in the ranger's place. The NG fighter (who took the two-weapon warrior and gladiator archetypes) watching all of this noted that the 'elf' (that was what the group thought her race to be) was a trained killer (being from Cheliax, he recognized her garb as that worn by a Silent Enforcer from Nidal) and figured correctly that the barbarian was in danger of dying at her lethal hands. Her flurry of Punishing Kicks (she only hit once) nearly brought the Shoanti to his knees. But it was Knu, the goblin rogue/sorceror (wildblooded - sage bloodline) who dropped the Wolf Shifter with an arcane bolt sneak attack (put him to -9 hp). The gladiator took exception to the goblin's interference and broke out his weapon of choice, the scorpion whip, and caused Knu to embarrass himself by bouncing his goblin head off the tavern floor. Pudge, the Company's wizard, did not involve himself due to being thoroughly intimidated by the Ulfen paladin. Just as the rest of the players were about to involve themselves in this scrap, the sheriff intervened and brought the situation back under control. The Company of the Black Banner were run out of town and the players, after learning they were all there to attend the Professor's funeral, were let off with a warning to not cause any trouble for the duration of their stay.
The funeral went well...given their numbers, the players handled the encounter with the townsfolk without resorting to the use of violence (the gladiator and the paladin both were very instrumental in intimidating the mob). The group spoke at the funeral, recounting their encounters with the Prof, impressing the other attendees with their eloquence. The reading of the will went without any problems, though they voiced their skepticism at having to stay on in Ravengro for 30 days. Spending time (5 days) assisting Kendra helped forge bonds with each other they wouldn't have had otherwise. Kazallin and the Lergeni discovered each were skilled in fortune telling (the oracle used the bones, the rogue was into astrology); the Shoanti, thanks to the Professor, was a skilled baker (that brought looks of shock from the other players, especially when he demonstrated just how good he was); the half-orc, Ulfen, and the dhampir (who the group believes is also an elf) hung out in the library where they spent time cataloging the books; the bleachling (and her partner, the Lergeni, when he wasn't chatting with Kazallin) functioned as external security for the estate. It was this role that led them to discover (for them) the first animal corpse (a pig) on a nearby farm (they caught the scent of blood on the wind). After finding it, the gnome went back and brought almost the all the other party members with her to the scene (only Kazallin and the Ulfen remained back to protect Kendra). With the ranger's help, they found the third letter at the monument (they are unaware of the first letter on the main entrance to the Restlands and the second on the gazebo) where they discovered the name of Warden Hawkran's wife and began their speculation as to what was going on. After waking up and informing the sheriff about the 'graffiti' they found, the group researched the monument and learned almost everything about the prison (they got a 21 on the research roll). The Lergeni believes that the stars will have them to go to the ruins of the prison to settle this, but they know nothing about the local ordinance barring entry to the ruins.
Next weekend (if we play), they'll deal with the children (and hear the skipping song) and face the zombies (possibly learning of the first and second letters). TSM doing his work without any interference on their part shows that unless they stop him, the markings will continue as the townsfolk are not up to the task of ending it themselves. Hopefully, they will figure themselves not ready (even with their numbers) to enter Harrowstone itself, but I'm prepared to deal with that just in case.
So what do you guys think? Is that a good start or what?
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I'm getting ready to start our second session of this module. I started out with quite a bit of roleplaying before the funeral then wrapped things up with the reading of the will and setting them up for some researching in the town.
I'm looking for some inspiration to make this phase a little more interesting so that they all don't want to just leap straight to Harrowstone. Obviously I have the events and some haunts, but I was curious if anyone added some additional NPCs or maybe even mini-battles.
Additionally, I'm playing with a group of PCs that is split 50/50 in terms of experienced and new players. Thought it would be good to use this time as a tutorial for the new people but wanted to keep things interesting for the experienced players.
Thoughts?
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I'm getting ready to start our second session of this module. I started out with quite a bit of roleplaying before the funeral then wrapped things up with the reading of the will and setting them up for some researching in the town.
I'm looking for some inspiration to make this phase a little more interesting so that they all don't want to just leap straight to Harrowstone. Obviously I have the events and some haunts, but I was curious if anyone added some additional NPCs or maybe even mini-battles.
Additionally, I'm playing with a group of PCs that is split 50/50 in terms of experienced and new players. Thought it would be good to use this time as a tutorial for the new people but wanted to keep things interesting for the experienced players.
Thoughts?
I think the walking dead event(s) the stringes and the mini crypt are supposed to sate your players blood thirst.
We had a lot of great RP for the first section, where the paladin arranged a date with Councilman Mericar (the old rake) for the party Changling Oracle in exchange for access to the archives and help searching them.
But what really pushed the fun was keeping the spooky level at max. I went so far as to pop out to the bathroom and wrote the first letter in fake blood on the mirror. Then I waited for a player to discover it before I had the event kick off in town.
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My three players are having a good time with the pre-Harrowstone stuff, but we just did the town hall burning thing and it wasn't much fun. A lot of moving tons of little markers around to very little effect, and players complaining about the unrealistic rules.
In the end, they managed to get the fire extinguished with no casualties, thanks to a little help from the council-members and the sheriff, though the fighter went unconscious and had to get healed at one point (once again). And the experience got them to level 3, which makes them ready to take on the prison.
I'm looking forward to getting into the straight dungeon crawl section now that they've pretty much figured out what's going on. And the fighter is expecting to die, and he's already rolled up a new tougher character -- a monk!
My three players are having a good time with the pre-Harrowstone stuff, but we just did the town hall burning thing and it wasn't much fun. A lot of moving tons of little markers around to very little effect, and players complaining about the unrealistic rules.
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I didn’t used tokens...I used red Marshmallow ...the one extinguishing the fire could eat it.
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My three players are having a good time with the pre-Harrowstone stuff, but we just did the town hall burning thing and it wasn't much fun. A lot of moving tons of little markers around to very little effect, and players complaining about the unrealistic rules.
...I didn’t used tokens...I used red Marshmallow ...the one extinguishing the fire could eat it.
That's a fantastic idea! Too bad two of my three players are playing over Skype!
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That's a fantastic idea! Too bad two of my three players are playing over Skype!My three players are having a good time with the pre-Harrowstone stuff, but we just did the town hall burning thing and it wasn't much fun. A lot of moving tons of little markers around to very little effect, and players complaining about the unrealistic rules.
...I didn’t used tokens...I used red Marshmallow ...the one extinguishing the fire could eat it.
Too bad for them, you'll just have to eat the marshmallows.
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Our last episode of the Gamers' Guide to Pathfinder Podcast is all about my experience running this module and my cohosts experience playing through it. Feel free to check it out!
My players went into Harrowstone on the 3rd day after the funeral (so 4th day in town). They're level 1 Pcs due to not doing anybresearch in town.
They saw the rat swarm and wisely didn't provoke it (encounter defeated). They then entered from the back skirting th pond into the furnace room s19). They triggered the haunt but ook no damage while fighting skeletons. They then went to S18 and fought the flaming skulls (once more taking no damage). One PC climbed down into U1 and by the Alchemist using one of his two spells (shield) was able to only take a small amount of damage due to a crit threat. everyone came down so they triggered U2. By using bottleneck tactics and an enlarged oracle with a reach weapon, was able to defeat the skeletons without taking any damage (alchemist was AC 22 with shield running).
They explored a bit, got spooked so went back upstairs. Went to S15 and then S2, triggering both haunts without taking damage. They got locked out of the foyer so went into the infirmary. The enemy scared 3 of them. They decided to flee after making a knowledge check because they have no way to damage it, even ifnthey could see it. As they fled I almost dropped one of the PCs.
Due to a flashback scene I added into the first session where they all met each other 5 years earlier, they are now level 2.
They have not gotten ANY treasure except for a handful of vials from the infirmary (3 in fact, only one was a CLW potion). OOC they're starting to be concenered by the lack of treasure.
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My players went into Harrowstone on the 3rd day after the funeral (so 4th day in town). They're level 1 Pcs due to not doing anybresearch in town.
They saw the rat swarm and wisely didn't provoke it (encounter defeated). They then entered from the back skirting th pond into the furnace room s19). They triggered the haunt but ook no damage while fighting skeletons. They then went to S18 and fought the flaming skulls (once more taking no damage). One PC climbed down into U1 and by the Alchemist using one of his two spells (shield) was able to only take a small amount of damage due to a crit threat. everyone came down so they triggered U2. By using bottleneck tactics and an enlarged oracle with a reach weapon, was able to defeat the skeletons without taking any damage (alchemist was AC 22 with shield running).
They explored a bit, got spooked so went back upstairs. Went to S15 and then S2, triggering both haunts without taking damage. They got locked out of the foyer so went into the infirmary. The enemy scared 3 of them. They decided to flee after making a knowledge check because they have no way to damage it, even ifnthey could see it. As they fled I almost dropped one of the PCs.
Due to a flashback scene I added into the first session where they all met each other 5 years earlier, they are now level 2.
They have not gotten ANY treasure except for a handful of vials from the infirmary (3 in fact, only one was a CLW potion). OOC they're starting to be concenered by the lack of treasure.
Wow, sounds like you're softpedalling it to me. How many PCs do you have?
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Rob also came up with an interesting way to incorporate specific cards with special abilities as rewards for accomplishing special goals throughout the Adventure Path. This system is referenced in the Player's Guide, but gets the majority of its details in #44 (Yes, #44, as explained in a totally lucid manner therein).
So yeah, that was the thinking on all that. THAT SAID! If folks have totally awesome ideas for how they'd put together hero-point like effects for each Harrow Card, I can't help but note that these boards don't have the same restrictions of space, word count, and similarly rigid resources, and if someone wants to get a Harrow Cards = Hero Point Effects thread going, that could be really awesome!
Did anyone come up with a variant of the Harrow point/Hero point system?
OOC they're starting to be concenered by the lack of treasure.
My characters just finished the Haunting of Harrowstone. With 5 of them and not upping any treasure they were WELL above wealth by level.
The crypt in the graveyard is a good source of early treasure. If you are concerned, have Kendra tell them she has been pouring over notes and believes there might be something there... pointing them to it more directly.
Sean
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Wow, sounds like you're softpedalling it to me. How many PCs do you have?
Four. We have:
* Human Oracle* Human Alchemist
* Human Paladin
* Human Sorcerer
Encounter R3
I ran this by the book. Gave them the opportunity to spot the rats and they elected to just leave them be (forgoing any possible treasure contained within). The book says the rats become visible within 15 feet and only attack within 5 feet.
Encounter R10
3 Human Skeletons. The Paladin was able to kill stuff with one step with Full Power Attack. The Oracle with reach was able to ready an attack AND THEN use an AoO to kill stuff before it got to the PCs.
The sorcerer enlarging people also helped them take enemies out. The Paladin wasn't even concerned with DR thanks to 3 damage from PA.
Encounter S19 and S15
I am not confident I'm running haunts correctly and will be seeking advice concerning this.
Encounter S18
These flaming skulls were lacking an attack bonus, I was able to calculate it on the fly. High AC on the Oracle tanking (with the Paladin dealing with one as well) along with poor rolls saw these creatures deal no damage.
They're tiny so they provoke AoOs and have a small attack bonus.
Encounter U1
I did blow this encounter which is a shame. I didn't prepare enough for this encounter as I wasn't expecting them to get here on their first trip to Harrowstone.
Encounter U2
8 human skeletons should be scary, right? That's what I thought at least. They faced off against:
* Enlarged Oracle with a Reach Weapon
* Alchemist with AC 22 (shield+high dex+armour)
The Oracle tanked with the few who were able to get past him blocked by the Enlarged Oracle. These are MINDLESS creatures so they aren't able to take advantage of tactics whatsoever. They just mindlessly rush forward. With a +2 bonus to hit I needed a natural 20 to hit the alchemist (18 when inadvertently flanking).
Encounter S14
This gave everyone at the table an "OH MY GOD" moment as they knew just how unprepared they were for this enemy and how they had NO ability to damage it beyond 2xholy waters.
I feared 3 of my 4 players, so simply attacked the remaining player with the attacks. With an AC of 22 (second shield for the day) I needed a 19 to hit with this creature.
I was able to almost kill the sorcerer, but wasn't really looking to go in for the kill. I scared the players enough to run away and they're now desperately scrambling to get magic weapons to be able to return to kill the thing (which will be fun for me as I'm not making it easy on them to get magical items in Ravengro).
That for me was a much better note to end the night on then to simply kill someone. So I ran as written and let them escape into the grounds of the prison and didn't have the poltergeist follow them.
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If you can offer better advice on how I could have run these I'm all ears. I'm new to GMing this edition of D&D (I came to D&D with 4th ed and so am quite inexperienced with the mechanics of Pathfinder/3.5), so I'm happily taking any advice I can get.
My characters just finished the Haunting of Harrowstone. With 5 of them and not upping any treasure they were WELL above wealth by level.
I've done the math. I know exactly how much extra treasure they get in this book. I also know EXACTLY where the treasure is. "Problem is," the players don't know it. So they're quite worried.
I like to have them concerned as it will cause them to be a bit more cautious and intelligent about what they do. Also after the tactics displayed from this session (taking on 8 skeletons and taking no damage) I have no qualms about running the Splatter Man as an intelligent enemy rather than use the tactics presented in the book. They've demonstrated they can take on really tough fights.
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Nice, John! I take back what I said. :)
It's a lot easier with someone who can channel energy. My party only has three PCs, and no channelers. Harrowstone's gonna be dicey...
Do keep in mind that Enlarge Person takes a full round to cast:
"A spell that takes 1 round to cast is a full-round action. It comes into effect just before the beginning of your turn in the round after you began casting the spell. You then act normally after the spell is completed."
So you don't get any benefit until the start of your next turn. Maybe you've already been playing it right, in which case, never mind. ;)
The main thing I'm worried about is that your players blow through Harrowstone without collecting much information first, making the whole plot a lot less interesting. I've found that it's more effective for information to be gathered in dribs and drabs, so they can put the pieces together themselves. Have they met the warden's wife's ghost yet?
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I have no qualms about running the Splatter Man as an intelligent enemy rather than use the tactics presented in the book. They've demonstrated they can take on really tough fights.
I would be careful on that fight even still... feel things out. The falling walls from the first part of the encounter will likely do a bit of damage all around to the party, then you throw in that he is opening up with damage that doesn't miss and does 20 damage right off the bat. AC doesn't mean much of anything other that they can ignore the summoned creatures... and it sounds like that is their big advantage.
Depending of the level of your players, that much damage with no miss chance can down a character in a round or two. In my game it worked out really well spreading the damage around. After a round or two there were people falling into the negatives and so the cleric was doing AoE healing to keep things going and was successful in doing so. At the same time, he was flying so no melee attacks made a big difference. If the ranger hadn't had the arrows from the catacomb... I don't know how they would have dealt with this encounter.
The same would go for the Lopper... he makes all touch attacks. If much of their success is against things that can't get past moderately high ACs for the level and they are relying on that then they are in for a rude surprise against incorporeal creatures with touch attacks... especially if they don't have the undead fighting tools available to them.
Again... I would really recommend that you use Kendra to point them back to the possible stash in the restlands... if they go back to town that is.
I've done the math. I know exactly how much extra treasure they get in this book. I also know EXACTLY where the treasure is. "Problem is," the players don't know it. So they're quite worried.
If your good with letting them sweat because they are doing fine and you know the stuff IS there, then I would sit back and smile a little when they complain. If you really do think it is hurting them, then I would again recommend that Kendra point out the info from her fathers diary indicating possible undead fighting tools in the restlands.
Anyway... sounds like a good group! Keep having fun!
If it helps at all, I go pretty in depth into my experience with the adventure in a podcast episode a player, Barry, and I did: The Gamers' Guide to the Haunting of Harrowstone.
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*WARNING* *WARNING* *SPOILERS AHEAD*
Do keep in mind that Enlarge Person takes a full round to cast:
Yup. For the 8 Human Skeletons fight I allowed them to think they were out of initiative while I kept track of rounds. The Alchemist's Shield ran out 1 round before the combat with the Skeletons ended.
The main thing I'm worried about is that your players blow through Harrowstone without collecting much information first, making the whole plot a lot less interesting.I am plotting in ways on how to slow them down a bit. I've had one player send me this e-mail
is carrion crown that badly written?
No plot hook in the will/items left to us, no treasure to fight ghosts, nowhere to buy s$*$ to fight ghosts nothing in the professor's notes/library - then a bunch of ghosts we can't fight?
[Darn] this professor he could have left me a note or a +1 scalpel lol. Could have been such a good plot hook this funeral! I was expecting personalized notes for campaign traits, some overarching conspiracy he was uncovering etc etc.
I have made some tweaks to the plot-hook to better suit my tastes and my players. My changes are:
- I rewrote the Will so that it was written the day before he died. I also had the professor write about very specific dates on what was going to happen in the near future. This gave the PCs a mystery in that how did the Professor know he would die the very next day? They've been investigating this.
- I rewrote the will so it gave them personalised items. The Alchemist received half of a Golem Manual, the Paladin received a holy symbol of Aroden (although the note said it was from a follower of Iomadae), the Oracle received a book on the teachings of Mother Kavapesta written by an acolyte who studied under her personally while the Sorcerer received a book on the Theory of Evolution (from the perspective of someone in a world where the gods are not only known to exist, but were in some instances mortal humans beforehand).
- The books that the PCs were suppose to get to deliver in Lepidstadt were removed because I didn't think it appropriate to have them be mere message boys after they've completed the first book. That's a level 1 plothook, not a level 4 one IMO.
- One of my players has arranged to look through the Professor's library where they'll find further clues.
- Items as we all know are well and truly handled in the book as written. It's just the one room they've found that did have treasure happened to be inhabited by a poltregeist.
My reply to his e-mail was simply
The issues you have with the first book aren't quite as bad as you think they are. The no items in the will was a bit disappointing, but easily fixed. As for the rest, find out in game. I won't be saying anymore then that.
I've found that it's more effective for information to be gathered in dribs and drabs, so they can put the pieces together themselves. Have they met the warden's wife's ghost yet?
No. The clues they have so far:
- The professor's coffin was magical under a detect magic. This revealed it was a wondrous coffin that had the constant effects of Gentle Repose cast on anything contained within (to help with awful smells).
This allowed the PCs to perform an autopsy and receive quite good data. They discovered the Professor wasn't killed by something falling on his head. This was done post mortem to make it look like that's what killed him. Poison nor any other mundane method was used to kill the professor. (Alchemist is in character a doctor. The party managed to convince the grave diggers to let them perform an impromptu autopsy which took 1 hour after the service was held. Quite unorthodox, but they paid well and rolled good diplomacy).
- As I menntioned the professor's will being updated the night before his death was quite odd and something they've been investigating.
- They saw the V letter on the statue and have worked out it probably refers to someone's name (it was raining when they found to both hide the tracks but also highlight that the blood on the statue was magical as it wasn't washing off). It won't be raining for the next letter so they'll be able to track (with the alchemist giving himself scent which helps) to track the person back to the person's home.
- They know that a body search was called where the town mobilised to look for the professor and that Zokar Elkarid found the body with a couple of other people.
- They heard the skipping song which has been a local tradition dating back years.
- Everyone keeps asking the PCs if they know how old Jorfa is (in my campaign Harrowstone burned to the ground 100 years ago). The town has a going bet as to who is older. Jorfa or Father Grimburrow. No-one knows.
- They know Jorfa is hiding something.
- They've asked to have a look through Lorrimor's library. The most uncouth member of the party asked and got balls diplomacy. She said yes, but put him off until the 10th of Pharast (2 days time).
- They roleplayed gathering information so I organically gave them information about Harrowstone. Afterwards I checked the book and discovered I'd given them DC 10 and DC 15 on Knowledge Harrowstone checks, so I awarded them the XP for it (which resulted in them saying "why on earth are we getting 37 XP each? No module writer would ever do that!")
- At Harrowstone they got a 20 on the knowledge (arcana) and so I gave them the schools. They took the 30 minutes in the pouring rain to study the writings so I gave them a reroll. They they got a 29 so I gave them the knowledge from the DC 30 which resulted in a big "WTF?" moment. Everyone is thoroughly confused, only furthering the mystery component that should continue beyond book 1.
- Next session starts on the 9th of Pharast in the morning. I'll be getting them to roll me DC 10 fort save or gain the disease of "The Common Cold." One of them should fail (considering they're only level 2) so this should delay them for another day or two, as it will only require 1 fort save.
Again... I would really recommend that you use Kendra to point them back to the possible stash in the restlands... if they go back to town that is.
In that library they'll find Lorrimor's diary which I've written out myself for the most recent entries. If they read the handout they'll see this direct quote:
1st of Calistril, 4711
Success! My memory wasn’t failing me after all. The false crypt is in the intersection between Eversleep and the Black Path. I wonder if Father Grimburrow knows about it?
....
I helped myself to a few of the items in the crypt. Anymore wouldn’t do ME any good. I’ve gotten no sleep tonight as I’ve thought long and hard about who to contact in order to deal with them. I doubt I’ll take them out by myself.
I finished my last parcel this morning. I didn’t want to say too much in case Kendra reads the notes. The fact I redrew my will only last night should spark their curiousity enough to dig deeper. I have to count on them. I have no-one else I dare turn to.
If you really do think it is hurting them
Hell no. They've had 1 tough fight and they immediately start complaining? They can keep on and then at the end I'll be able to tell them to perhaps have more faith in me.
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If it helps at all, I go pretty in depth into my experience with the adventure in a podcast episode a player, Barry, and I did: The Gamers' Guide to the Haunting of Harrowstone.
Fantastic podcast, Sean! I listened to it over the past few days, and it's given me some great ideas for running my game. Thanks a lot!
Fantastic podcast, Sean! I listened to it over the past few days, and it's given me some great ideas for running my game. Thanks a lot!
Glad you liked it!!!
If you want to check out any of the other episodes (non-Carrion Crown specific), you can find them at www.35privatesanctuary.com
Sean
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I'd have the journal be present, but the moment someone opens it in an attempt to read from its pages, the book disintegrates and is blown away by a mystical blast of wind. It seems cliche' but should work so as not to make you do the additional work of coming up with entries for it.This question was posed earlier but never answered.
In the information on Father Charlatan's haunt, it says that "the haunt targets a single person (either the first person to touch Father Charlatan’s journal or his remains, or the last person to attempt
to leave the cell)..."This is the only mention of Father Charlatan's journal. Was it removed from the adventure and this was overlooked?
Since Father Charlatan was in a "luxury" cell, and the way the map showed something beside the bed, I had a rotted journal on a table. Without the journal my players were not going to touch the corpse or search the cell; a detect magic told them the chains offered them nothing they wanted.
I intended for the journal to be unreadable but the investigating player cast "Make Whole" on it. He took it with him and read it. The words in it indicated the author, Sefick Corvin, was a fallen follower of Iomedae who regretted his actions and wanted to redeem himself. In essence I had the Father writing the journal as a bluff for the guards to read and take pity on him.
At this stage the players still had not learned Father Charlatan's real name, so it was a bonus when they did.
The players did comment that the bones, wrapped in chains, probably couldn't have written a journal, but assumed the chains came later.