RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Players in my Wednesday night group, please keep out! (Beth, this means you! :-P )
So, my party will be facing off against Karzoug in about three weeks, and I'm starting to do some preparation for the final battle. Do any of you have tips for how I can make the game:
a) Run smoothly, and
b) be AWESOME?
What I've done so far is to put Karzoug's stats into Hero Lab and try to familiarize myself with his spell load-out and tactics.
I have also been painting a metal Karzoug mini and intend to draw out the battleground on Gaming Paper with lots of detail.
In terms of differences from the Anniversary Edition, I have had Karzoug focus on using cold spells against the party when appearing through the projected images in the spire (the intent being to trick the party into wasting some protective magic on cold spells and then use other elements in the real battle).
Also, my party has devised a cunning plan to stage a fake ritual to summon Alzanist, Runelord of Wrath. They've gone so far as to use Sculpt Corpse to create fake dead bodies of the PC's "killed" by the summoned runelord, so that Karzoug won't suspect that one of them is actually disguised. So far the PCs don't know for certain that they are being scried on while wearing Sihedrons, but they suspect strongly that they are, and have been very careful about what they discuss openly, so they should be able to pull off the con, at least for a little while.
Finally, my game uses both Hero Points and Plot Cards, and I expect liberal use of both during the final battle.
So, does anyone have any feedback or suggestions? I'm looking forward to this! :-)
Creative Director
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In terms of differences from the Anniversary Edition, I have had Karzoug focus on using cold spells against the party when appearing through the projected images in the spire (the intent being to trick the party into wasting some protective magic on cold spells and then use other elements in the real battle).
This is sinisterly ingenious!!!!
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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This is sinisterly ingenious!!!!In terms of differences from the Anniversary Edition, I have had Karzoug focus on using cold spells against the party when appearing through the projected images in the spire (the intent being to trick the party into wasting some protective magic on cold spells and then use other elements in the real battle).
Well, Karzoug *does* have an Intelligence of 36 ;-)
Glad you like it! :-D
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Isn't illusion one of his prohibited schools? How are you going to get away with the projected images? (Now Xanderghul, I would see him confounding PCs with that tactic.)
Karzoug himself can't cast Project Image; you are correct. However, as part of the adventure, there are certain spots where Karzoug can manifest himself within the Pinnacle of Avarice, even though he is still trapped bodily inside his demiplane. The adventure says to treat them like Project Image spells, so that's what I was referring to.
Basically, it's a way for the PCs to run into Karzoug before the big battle and get a taste of his power before going in to slug it out for good.
Karzoug's intelligence being a good deal higher than my own, I figured he'd be a lot better at strategic planning than I am. To simulate this, I gave him a longer list of prepared spells than he'd be entitled to (IIRC with the build I was using, he's entitled to something like 78 total spells, 1st to 9th, and I gave him a prepared list of about 110.)
I kept careful track of how many were used at each level, so he never actually cast more than he'd be allowed, but didn't get caught in the trap of "rats! I should have prepared X instead of Y."
Have the giants (esp. the rune giant) use their first attack each round to disarm an opponent. The rune giant's CMB pretty much guarantees he'll succeed, and the PCs can't unload massive melee damage using interative attacks if they aren't holding weapons.
Use maze against PC spellcasters as early as possible, especially clerics and sorcerers. You may be surprised how long it can take non-wizards to make a DC 20 INT check.
Protect the Eye of Avarice with a windowless force cage. Runeforged weapons may damage the Eye, but they'll take several rounds to batter their way through the forcewall.
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Isn't illusion one of his prohibited schools? How are you going to get away with the projected images? (Now Xanderghul, I would see him confounding PCs with that tactic.)Karzoug himself can't cast Project Image; you are correct. However, as part of the adventure, there are certain spots where Karzoug can manifest himself within the Pinnacle of Avarice, even though he is still trapped bodily inside his demiplane. The adventure says to treat them like Project Image spells, so that's what I was referring to.
Basically, it's a way for the PCs to run into Karzoug before the big battle and get a taste of his power before going in to slug it out for good.
Huh, that's what I get for not reading it closely... >.< I would have loved to pop in and hose them once or twice before that last battle...
Honestly I was succumbing to running fatigue. I have since learned to keep my sessions to 4 or so hours. Back then, sometimes I would be running 8+ hrs... too long in my opinion.
Good luck with your final battle! May it be memorable! Mine included the party Druid dropping a T-Rex on the big K, after the aforementioned Ki throw and a flurry of AoOs by the party monk, fighter, and barbararian. :p
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Good luck with your final battle! May it be memorable! Mine included the party Druid dropping a T-Rex on the big K, after the aforementioned Ki throw and a flurry of AoOs by the party monk, fighter, and barbararian. :p
Yeah, I'm expecting a proclivity of summoned creatures, given that my party includes a druid, a summoner, and an Animal-domain cleric! Hopefully Big K won't be swarmed too badly by the minions!
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Huh, that's what I get for not reading it closely... >.< I would have loved to pop in and hose them once or twice before that last battle...
Yeah, the reaction at my table was pretty fantastic: having Karzoug appear out of nowhere and hit most of the party with a Cone of Cold followed by a Cold Ice Strike was priceless! 30d6 damage in one round *really* got their attention >:-}
Karzoug's intelligence being a good deal higher than my own, I figured he'd be a lot better at strategic planning than I am. To simulate this, I gave him a longer list of prepared spells than he'd be entitled to (IIRC with the build I was using, he's entitled to something like 78 total spells, 1st to 9th, and I gave him a prepared list of about 110.)
I kept careful track of how many were used at each level, so he never actually cast more than he'd be allowed, but didn't get caught in the trap of "rats! I should have prepared X instead of Y."
Have the giants (esp. the rune giant) use their first attack each round to disarm an opponent. The rune giant's CMB pretty much guarantees he'll succeed, and the PCs can't unload massive melee damage using interative attacks if they aren't holding weapons.
Use maze against PC spellcasters as early as possible, especially clerics and sorcerers. You may be surprised how long it can take non-wizards to make a DC 20 INT check.
Protect the Eye of Avarice with a windowless force cage. Runeforged weapons may damage the Eye, but they'll take several rounds to batter their way through the forcewall.
You sir have just made an enemy of my players. I on the other hand think you deserve a parade.
Also...
In terms of differences from the Anniversary Edition, I have had Karzoug focus on using cold spells against the party when appearing through the projected images in the spire (the intent being to trick the party into wasting some protective magic on cold spells and then use other elements in the real battle).
Fantastic and stolen.
You gentlemen are devious, dastardly and delightful. Ideas like this are the reasons I read the forums. Keep 'em coming.
Let's see...what else did I do?
It wound up not being much of a factor, but I equipped Karzoug with two metamagic rods: greater bouncing and greater dazing. And I made sure every magic item slot on his body was occupied.
Some of the spells he prepped for the day were from Rite Publishing's 1001 Spells. I had also used some of those in Runeforge, using spells unfamiliar to my players to give the feel "lost" Thassalonian magicks. Off hand I don't recall the names of all those that got used, but I can look that up if anyone's interested. I know there was one that set up a field that suppresses, rather than dispels, magic; I cast that in the spot where the sorcerer had been standing before he was sent away to the maze, so that he'd be instantly debuffed and unprotected against the environment when he came back. (As it turned out, he rolled badly when making INT checks and didn't make it back until after Karzoug was defeated.)
The main thing to remember about this encounter is that you can and should pull out all the stops. Karzoug isn't just a 20th level wizard, he's ruthless, superintelligent, obscenely wealthy, racially superior and has hundreds of years of life experience behind him. Add to that he has specific knowledge of the PCs, their resources, tactics and recent movements. (Oh, and he knows their names, which means the spell completion version of trap the soul ignores SR and adds +2 to the Will save.)
And it'll all work out fine for the party as long as one of them survives to destroy the Eye. You can slaughter the rest of the group without qualm, knowing that the energy released from the Eye will heal, even resurrect, any PCs that fall.
That reminds me: I swiped the Embodiment of Avarice from Kobold Press's Monsters of Sin series to use as a visual for that scene. When the Eye was smashed, the released souls swirled around the room like a self-aware tornado, healing the PCs before coalescing into the titanic ratlike entity wielding an equally large scythe that turned its attention on Karzoug, finishing him off before dispering to the afterlife.
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Good luck with your final battle! May it be memorable! Mine included the party Druid dropping a T-Rex on the big K, after the aforementioned Ki throw and a flurry of AoOs by the party monk, fighter, and barbararian. :pYeah, I'm expecting a proclivity of summoned creatures, given that my party includes a druid, a summoner, and an Animal-domain cleric! Hopefully Big K won't be swarmed too badly by the minions!
At least summoning is a Full Round action. Also remember the Time Stop! ^_^
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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At least summoning is a Full Round action. Also remember the Time Stop! ^_^
Summoners can do it as a Standard action when their Edidolon is not around. And since the Eidolon is effectively the party's tank, I expect he will not last long against Karzoug. (The Eidolon's Will save is atrocious, so Karzoug should be able to deal with him pretty easily.)
That does bring up a really good idea, though: if I can use some kind of save-or-suck spell that will disable the Eidolon without killing him, then the Summoner will need to waste a standard action to dismiss him, or else he won't be able to summon anything else! >:-}
And trust me, I won't forget the Time Stop! I went ahead and pre-rolled the durations, so I can work out all the math for the buffs Karzoug will be casting during those rounds.
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Bumping this one last time because my players will be running into Karzoug tomorrow night! Any last minute tips?
One thing I did was create a maze using Five O'Clock's Create-a-maze. So when the ranger gets hit with the Maze spell, I can hand that sheet to the player and say, "you can either roll an Intelligence check, or solve this yourself". I'm trying to be more interactive :-)
Bumping this one last time because my players will be running into Karzoug tomorrow night! Any last minute tips?
One thing I did was create a maze using Five O'Clock's Create-a-maze. So when the ranger gets hit with the Maze spell, I can hand that sheet to the player and say, "you can either roll an Intelligence check, or solve this yourself". I'm trying to be more interactive :-)
This is an amazing idea. Have somebody time him to see how long he takes to solve the maze, divide by 6 (6 seconds/round) and then that could be how long it takes him to get out of the maze! Make it at least 50x50 though :P
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Bumping this one last time because my players will be running into Karzoug tomorrow night! Any last minute tips?
One thing I did was create a maze using Five O'Clock's Create-a-maze. So when the ranger gets hit with the Maze spell, I can hand that sheet to the player and say, "you can either roll an Intelligence check, or solve this yourself". I'm trying to be more interactive :-)
This is an amazing idea. Have somebody time him to see how long he takes to solve the maze, divide by 6 (6 seconds/round) and then that could be how long it takes him to get out of the maze! Make it at least 50x50 though :P
ooh, that's an interesting idea! I just made it a really hard maze, with the assumption that she can work on it while everyone else is going.
To be honest, I think she'll probably rather roll an INT check, but it will at least be a nice visual! :-)
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Putting a giant rubber stamp DOT of approval on this thread!
I've read through that portion of the adventure, but I didn't pay too much attention because it'll be a while before my group gets there. Are there clues that give the PCs the knowledge that they can attack the Eye and don't necessarily have to focus on killing Karzoug?
We have never played above 12th level so I'm sure my players might be in the dark regarding high-level tactics.
Dotted with evil laughter! I am not there yet myself so I am sorry I cannot contribute but it sounds like you are going to have a great night of gaming. Please let us know how this goes!