RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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So, after reading through the entire AP, and mapping out how I'd GM it, I found the end, as written, to be a bit weak. Bonefist is a mechanically sound villain, but the motivation for taking him on boils down to "well, you realistically could, and while its good enough for lowlife like our PCs, I prefer a stronger connection to the rest of the AP.
I'm currently considering to bring back captain Harrigan as the final villain, but unsure how to salvage most of Hell's Heart. I'd like to keep the maps - so I figured I'd break from the official storyline after the chelish fleet battle. The PCs return to their island, and find it overrun with wights, courtesy of Harrigan, who (through some infernal trickery) returned as a grave knight (grave pirate?). They chase him to port peril, and learn he sets out to assassinate Bonefist, and plans to unleash some kind of "failsafe" that would ruin the pirate port. From then on out its a race, with a single misunderstanding enough to set the PCs against the forts defenses.
Planning on having Harrigan as the BBEG for parts 5 and 6, with him going to murder Bonefist in part 5 (far too easy to get in that sea cave anyway - clairvoyance + teleport = really, not all that interesting..., and Harrigan's resources are.... well up to the job) , while the players are busy with his fleet.
Harrigan will then race to the soot stained isle (or some other ill-sounding place) , and perform some ancient rituals, first calling up the Demon Lord Dagon to wreck the Chelian fleet and consume their souls (and any unlucky heroic pirates in the bargain ), and then sail northward with the "Filthy Lucre" to take care of the remaining "rebels" fleeing the three way sea-battle ( Chelia vs Dagon vs. Pirates ).
Planning on introducing some fun seamonsters swept in with Dagon (who will initially be busy to chew through the nicely lined up Chelish fleet), and having the Shackles pirates flee the scene (no profit in fighting pixxed-off demon lords ), with the PCs in the middle of it equipping their ship to ram (figurehead for this already installed) and Dagon and send him back to his homeplane, before he devours everyone in the area.
There might be a "Maelstrom".... and of course, harrigan sailing in from the south
So... no much use for the Port Peril plans for me, but as written elsewhere, I really dislike the dungeons-side crawls in the first place
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I'm not running it yet, but I'm planning on the following changes possibilities:
Dagon will be available as a power source, a way to gain some ways to fight the Chelish fleet.
The Norgorber sword will have nothing to do with Norgorber but will be an artifact that lets the user manifest weather effects as detailed in the race. So they can use the eye of the weapon, but they risk sinking their own ship.
Harrigan will be on his ship in the first fleet battle. When they defeat him, they will discover on his ship documents about the invasion and something to lead them to the Chelish agents who are in Harrigan's lair so they can go there if they want to.
One of our players is playing a bard, so I'm confident that they will be able convince the Hurricane King to sail into battle with Cheliax. I'm thinking the fleet will sink him, making them seem more intimidating and losing the Hurricane Crown. Once the PC's defeat the fleet, whoever can recover the crown from the bottom of the sea gets to be the new king. This puts a nice underwater adventure at the end if they want the crown. They might not want it.
I'm also thinking that the secret lair of the hurricane king should actually be a demiplane linked to the crown. That prevents the scry teleport issue and make the whole thing more mysterious.