Disclaimer: Some of this may Reveal Spoilers, and i would like my DUNCAN group to not read past this point :)
I'm about to start a new group, but im thinking of Giving the party a short chance to go back in Time Durring or after book 3. After killing Vordakai i thought it would be fun to let them go back to an era where the Cyclops ruled Pre-Lichdom.
Im thinking a Few hours in a City of Trade ran by Cyclops and Other Giants. Greek City, but everything is Bigger. Vendors with items perhaps not available in the Present. Maybe some Old Spells, etc... They will have the currency from Vordakai's lair.
Some possible Drawbacks would be if they reveal info about Present day, it might change the outcome of the land in the area, or if they are possibly captured as slaves, etc. They would be on a timer, so unless they die, they will get zapped back to present day.
Opinions?
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Disclaimer: Some of this may Reveal Spoilers, and i would like my DUNCAN group to not read past this point :)
** spoiler omitted **
Opinions?
Time travel can be very fun to run but it is also very challenging. If you have a very smart and veteran group it can also be very tricky. It sounds like your onto something though, keeps us posted.
I'd enjoy that. I wouldn't worry much about "side effects": it's easy to dismiss "predictions of the future" as the ravings of madmen under some kind of chemical influence.
Also, I'd consider magically making the PCs cyclopes since, in the Cycolopean Empire, humans, etc would well be a "slave race" and not permitted to act freely.
Also, I'd consider magically making the PCs cyclopes since, in the Cycolopean Empire, humans, etc would well be a "slave race" and not permitted to act freely.
I thought about that... But if the Human/Elf/Etc was obv. a cleric of the same Gods that were around, like Sarenrae then they might hold some power.
There's an option, but to explain it requires spoilers for Second Darkness:
If you go with something like this, depending on your group, you may need to come up with a rule/justification that anything they trade for, they may keep, but items stolen or otherwise taken with nothing left in exchange will dissolve upon their return. Otherwise, some players might decide to steal things and escape back through the portal, and end up with possessions/wealth you don't really want them to have.
Bounced some idea's off a online friend. Here is What we came up with:
The way to get there would essentially be a Demi Plane like the End of Time in Chronotrigger. The 'guru' living them says he can Throw the Eye of Occulus in to the "End of the Beginning of the End of Time." Cause then it will be lost it time forever. In Doing so, he finds there is a Slight Rift in time to back when the Giants Ruled (Titans, and Cyclops in this area... maybe a few Giants). The Party will get 6-12 hours back in time before there Tether Slingshots them back here.
When they get there it is essentially Ancient Greece.... but everything is HUGE or Colossal. They can go shopping with there Vordakai Currency. If they think to open a portal back to the end of time, i would allow it... but only for a few weeks in game... After that they show up to find the place decimated by Earthfall.
If they don't open a portal there... maybe they see earthfall coming, and the tether whips them back minutes before earthfall hits.
Friend mentioned on a side note... maybe all Evil came to Golarian because the Eye ends up in the Beginning of time... First Humanoid to find it is the route of all evil... now they have to go back in time to get it back (especially if there is a paladin in the party) ???
Opinions as always :D
That last idea (about retrieving the Eye) seems more exciting than the earlier ideas. Maybe your players would enjoy a shopping trip at Cyclops Mall, but to me, it seems like an awful lot of flavour without much adventure.
But if there's a quest, that changes things. Maybe the PCs need to travel incognito at first, using magic to disguise them as cyclopes (or inhabiting cyclops bodies, in the vein of Quantum Leap)? Once exposed, they might face enslavement or imprisonment -- both terrifying prospects if they knew the clock was ticking before (a) the portal back home closes, and (b) Earthfall destroys pretty much everything.
One final, vague thought, if you like closed-circuit time travel stories:
That last idea (about retrieving the Eye) seems more exciting than the earlier ideas. Maybe your players would enjoy a shopping trip at Cyclops Mall, but to me, it seems like an awful lot of flavour without much adventure.
But if there's a quest, that changes things. Maybe the PCs need to travel incognito at first, using magic to disguise them as cyclopes (or inhabiting cyclops bodies, in the vein of Quantum Leap)? Once exposed, they might face enslavement or imprisonment -- both terrifying prospects if they knew the clock was ticking before (a) the portal back home closes, and (b) Earthfall destroys pretty much everything.
One final, vague thought, if you like closed-circuit time travel stories:
** spoiler omitted **
or mayhaps Nyrissa taught Vordakai some "secret" magic....?
If you have the Chapter Six book, read up on the First World, specifically Shyka <sp> the Many, one of the Elders. He could easily be a starting point for time-travel adventure (or at least help in getting them through time). Might also tie in the Fae aspect of the adventure as a whole, too. (Maybe deliver a certain sword to a certain Neried in exchange for a trip, or something? That'd be weird; just don't tell the players *anything* about what or why!) :)
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That last idea (about retrieving the Eye) seems more exciting than the earlier ideas. Maybe your players would enjoy a shopping trip at Cyclops Mall, but to me, it seems like an awful lot of flavour without much adventure.
But if there's a quest, that changes things. Maybe the PCs need to travel incognito at first, using magic to disguise them as cyclopes (or inhabiting cyclops bodies, in the vein of Quantum Leap)? Once exposed, they might face enslavement or imprisonment -- both terrifying prospects if they knew the clock was ticking before (a) the portal back home closes, and (b) Earthfall destroys pretty much everything.
One final, vague thought, if you like closed-circuit time travel stories:
** spoiler omitted **
I love this idea. Make it more of a reason other than 'shopping' - Quantum Leap- brilliant!
Re-Reading Vordakai... he is Just an apprentice. If they go back in the past im gonna have them meet him. Maybe give them a small quest to acquire something to help in his Lichdom.
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So here is what i am planning overall:
There is a Witchmarket, which is a fey trade caravan that moves between the various breaches, etc. It will show up in the 2nd book, near the end. Currency in First world is alot more different then Material Plane. The Party wakes up to a knock on there Doors, from someone who works for them. A Tent Town Carnival Appeared this morning, Literally. Upon Inspection they find a Tent town of Aberrant Creatures. Ice Giants with 6 arms, Bug Bears with Rainbow Colored Skin, Gnomes that look like... Gnomes...
This market can offer you your greatest dreams, for a price. A Kiss, a Vial of Blood, your childhood memories? Perhaps a Finger of Death, Followed by a Reincarnate for fun? The Party will be able to ask for anything they want... and the GM Comes up with a price. Want an Unlimited wish? Sacrifice the Lives and Souls of all the people in your country. Seem Unreasonable? Good i dont want you to have an unlimited wish haha.
One Thing offered to the wizard/summoner in the party will be a place where they can Practice all there spells and research. It will be a cursed Amulet (Can't take it off, takes up the Amulet slot), as well as a portal to be built at a location of the casters choice (Everything they need to put it together).
The portal will open to a place that looks like The End of Time from Chrono Trigger. The One Room with a door is the area they can decorate and train in if they want (50x50 room). There will be one NPC there. The Guru of Time, who will be a Denizen of Leng who created the place and controls the magic being there. It is located on the Plane of Time (Tome of Horrors).
There is a Drop off, as the picture. If asked it Drops in to the End of the beginning of the end of time. Anything Dropped in is lost it time forever. Across the Bridge is a Spot for Portals. 5 Portals max, 1 is already there (back to the portal that brought the player here). They will be given 4 Portal Stones that when buried will allow the Pendant Wearer to open a portal from the stone to the End of Time. The End of time portals are always useable to that location.
If the party is looking for a way to destroy the oculus of abaddon, the Guru will suggest just throwing it in to End of the Beginning of the End of Time. Doing so Will Create unforeseen Effects, since its a Major Artifact.
First a Rift will Open, on a short timer. The Guru Will shift the Area to where Time slows alot so that the portal is Open long enough to research it. This Creates 2 Events.
Event 1: The Portal opens to a Cyclopean City Before Earthfall. I Picture this being like Ancient Greece... But BIGGER. They will have Currency from killing Vordakai, if they want to do some shopping... Altho they will need to diplomacy or Bluff Most people to deal with them. The Portal opens to the City in the Year -5293AR; Just weeks before Earthfall. In the Events of them Figuring out What time Period they are in, I may put a Cyclopean Empire North East of the Stolen Lands for them to Contend With. They will also Meet Vordakai As an apprentice to the Original Vordakai. Im Thinking they might overhear the apprentice Vordakai talking to Nyrissa talking about how he can become a Lich (Planar binding, and got her Randomly??). **SIDE NOTE: Durring his fight with them, im gonna have him recognize them.**
Event 2: The Amulet Flows Through Time till it hits the Beginning of time, where the First Creature that finds it is forced to use it, as to its effect. Thus Spawning the First Evil. If there is a Paladin in the party, they may need to Quest back in Time to stop that too? Perhaps the First Horseman found an Item? ;)
More Opinions?
Personally, I'd drop #2.
That leaves you with 2 unpalatable alternatives - 1) He succeeds, and all evil is removed from the world (and so much of the conflict disappears), or 2 - He fails, and realizes he never had any chance to correct the party's action, and likely feels cheated. (Few people enjoy a Kobayashi Maru scenario)
Doesn't do it for me. I don't see how this ties in with the fey-themed background of the AP.
Also, I don't get what you want to achieve by your time travel loop? How does it further the AP or the players' development (aside XP)?
Why don't you follow the described way to destroy the occulus (sorry, away from my books - is what you spoilered the way to destroy it?) and let them actually participate in the destruction?
Ruyan.
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If you want to pursue that idea you could steal from Monte Cook's Dead Gods. Rather than the player's characters go back in time he had the players roll up different characters and play them in that time zone. He then had the original characters find a magic item that had recorded the different characters' experiences. It was a great way to giving the players valuable plot information and history. To make it a great 'reveal' I had the players run those different characters in a break between chapters well before the magic item could be discovered. To give it a completely different, I had a good friend of mine, who plays with a different group, GM them with the mission the TPK at the end. When they finally found the magic item, many real time months later, is was a great "oooohhh" moment.
This thread is great. I used it as inspiration and ran it in my campaign last night to great effect. Here's how it went for us:
I pretended that I was rolling up the random event for that month, and said that the Court Magister wanted to talk to them about a discovery that he had. He said he was looking over some of the maps the party had made last year, and that he noticed something interesting. He opened up a map of one of the hexes (specifically the empty one west of hex N on map 3) and showed them the various large stone blocks they had found there. He then also pulled out a star chart and showed that there was a constellation of stars that almost matched that layout of stones, except that the biggest stone did not have a corresponding star. The Magister then went on to say that there are some stars that wander the night sky, and do not follow the normal pattern of stars. One of these stars is Eox, a wanderer associated with leadership, arcana, and death. Eox is noticeably brighter than the other stars, and it will be passing through the constellation on the 17th of this month. According to his calculations, this happens once every 122 years. The PCs asked their Magister what that meant, and he only shrugged, saying he thought it was interesting and they should know about it.
I know my group, and that was enough for them. :-)
They set out to that hex (which in my game happens to be claimed and farmed by Varnhold), and idled around out there amongst the stones that night. They had a little stargazing party (the party Treasurer set out a lawn chair, grabbed a beer, and put a crossbow across her lap: “this is how we do it down south”), and they could watch Eox slowly enter the constellation that mirrored the giant stone slabs on the ground. They started hearing things, rumblings too low-pitched to make out. The Sorcerer cast Detect Magic, and he noticed the entire area was being bathed in steadily increasing Conjuration magic. Eventually, they could hear the rumblings, and they could make out a cacophony of voices, all speaking over each other, in some harsh, giant-like language. Then, at midnight, as Eox entered the correct spot in the constellation, the moon began to glow brighter, and brighter, until they were all blinded by the overly intense silver light, and then it was warm, and they heard the voices all around them, and the moon was replaced with the sun, and they were in an over-sized marketplace.
They were in a crowd of cyclopses, most of them dressed in bronze, Roman-style armor, carrying round bronze shields and spears. There was in immense, Parthenon-style structure behind them, and it was guarded by cyclopses in togas. Everything was like watercolor: things were overly vibrant and the coloration washed outside of the borders. (The PCs did not perceive each other as watercolor.) And, seemingly, the cyclops soldiers could not perceive them. (Though I did screw around with them a bit, treating it more like Obfuscate from Vampire than a true invisibility, where if they got too close to anyone, the cyclopses would start going, "hey, did you hear something?")
Eventually, four priests, in crimson-color togas, wearing heavy gold chains each with a different horseman holy symbol around their neck, walked to the corners of the Parthenon, waving censors of incense. The crowd hushed. Then the Emporer emerged, dressed in a purple toga, and wore laurel leafs plated in gold. There was only one person in my party who spoke Giant (and none that spoke cyclops-proper), so I only gave her bits and pieces of what he was saying, which was basically "the stuff you've been hearing about the end of the world is false, our gods will protect us, your emporer will protect you, stop freaking out, our empire will last forever, yadda yadda." Behind and to the side of the Emporer, dressed in robes, and noticeably short for a cyclops (only seven feet tall) stood what was clearly a court-wizard-type. This is Vordecai. (I’m changing the canon a bit here: I think the whole "two Vordecais" thing is lame.)
During the long speech, the PCs noticed two “short people” in the crowd (or rather, the same height as them). The PC King went out to get a closer look, and noticed they were male and female pair, possibly elven, standing arm-in-arm, watching the speech. Notably, the male in the pair was not a blurry watercolor. The King hailed him, and the male responded, introducing himself as Count Ranalc. However, he immediately had to make a saving throw, as the blonde standing next to him was “blindingly beautiful.” (The King then correctly concluded she was a nymph.) She didn’t seem to notice the King though, and eventually had to ask (of Ranalc) “who are you talking to, honey?” At this, Ranalc produced some fairy-dust from his person, and sprinkled it upon his consort, allowing her to see the PCs.
Ranalc was able to explain what was going on concerning the cyclops empire, how the court wizard Vordecai had predicted that the end of the world was nigh, and how the emperor is willfully ignoring him. “Right now, he knows he is telling a lie. However, he will repeat this lie so often, and with such conviction, that soon, he will believe it. When the end comes, six years hence, it will be a shock and surprise to him. Tragic. Deluded by his own demagoguery.”
The King wants to know why Ranalc knows what will happen, and he explains that he is lost to the streams of time, and visits many time periods. He goes on to explain that he is a being of the First World, and was exiled from their courts at some point in time a few thousand years hence. He is now capable of moving to any point in time prior to his banishment. However, he can only observe, he cannot change things. He uses this as a point to pivot the conversation, and ask the King all sorts of things about what life is like in his day (since Ranalc cannot travel to that time period). The questions get very probing, very quickly, asking about his heir, his taste in women, which allies he can count on, etc.
The woman on Ranalc’s arm pays very close attention to every answer given.
Eventually the King releases his has been too forthcoming, and asks who the hell the woman is that’s been eavesdropping the whole time. She plays coy, and Ranalc says to pay her no mind, that she is a native to this time period, and is not an Eldest yet. But with the sprinkling of his fairy-dust, she will be able to remember this encounter, even though none of the cyclopses will. The King them notices that her hair looks very familiar, and has that same luscious blonde color that he has seen on those various rings worn by the Stag Lord, Hargulka, etc.
Soon thereafter, I decided it was high time to have Eox move out of the constellation, and they found themselves standing in a cold, moonlit field, surrounded by large stone slabs.
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This thread is great. I used it as inspiration and ran it in my campaign last night to great effect. Here's how it went for us:
I pretended that I was rolling up the random event for that month, and said that the Court Magister wanted to talk to them about a discovery that he had. He said he was looking over some of the maps the party had made last year, and that he noticed something interesting. He opened up a map of one of the hexes (specifically the empty one west of hex N on map 3) and showed them the various large stone blocks they had found there. He then also pulled out a star chart and showed that there was a constellation of stars that almost matched that layout of stones, except that the biggest stone did not have a corresponding star. The Magister then went on to say that there are some stars that wander the night sky, and do not follow the normal pattern of stars. One of these stars is Eox, a wanderer associated with leadership, arcana, and death. Eox is noticeably brighter than the other stars, and it will be passing through the constellation on the 17th of this month. According to his calculations, this happens once every 122 years. The PCs asked their Magister what that meant, and he only shrugged, saying he thought it was interesting and they should know about it.
I know my group, and that was enough for them. :-)
They set out to that hex (which in my game happens to be claimed and farmed by Varnhold), and idled around out there amongst the stones that night. They had a little stargazing party (the party Treasurer set out a lawn chair, grabbed a beer, and put a crossbow across her lap: “this is how we do it down south”), and they could watch Eox slowly enter the constellation that mirrored the giant stone slabs on the ground. They started hearing things, rumblings too low-pitched to make out. The Sorcerer cast Detect Magic, and he noticed the entire area was being bathed in steadily increasing Conjuration magic. Eventually, they could hear the rumblings, and they...
That was sweet!