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Session three, for those that are following, happened last week.
This session had the party departing from Heldren for the second time after handing Rohkar over to the authorities and saving lady Argentia (or so they think).
On the way back, they encountered a yeti where the snowman formerly was. Man, those yeti's hit hard! No one went down but they were pretty badly beat up! It took longer to get to the lodge this time as the snow was heavier and they had to make more frequent cold checks (When they left Heldren, it was snowing so the cold zone was clearly expanding.) so they spent the night at the lodge.
The next day they encountered 3 mythic frost skeletons. They didn't pose too much of a problem for the party but these allowed me to foreshadow what was to come; when they exploded, the area around them, not only burst with frost, but also burst with harmless lightning energy that appeared to be seeking something but as the party is not mythic, they didn't absorb the mythic energy and the lighting eventually dissipated harmlessly. No one picked up on it, including two of the players who are also GM's, although, they assumed that I was either cheating or didn't know what I was doing when the skeletons where getting attacks of opportunity on them every time the skeletons were attacked in melee!
At that same battle site, I had them discover the body of lady Argentia still strapped to a tree where she was obviously brutally tortured and beaten some days ago. This created a lot questions since the party had just delivered and left her behind in Heldren all safe and sound... after much discussion, they assumed a doppleganger was now in the picture and decided to not return to Heldren but to proceed to the portal (I had a nasty surprise ready for them in Heldren should they have decided to return).
Frost firs were next; again, I beefed them up. Gave them the advanced template and increased their size to large and maxed their hit points. They were no match for the PC's as the PC's made creative use of their alchemists fire.
And the next major event was Thora... and oh boy, did they surprise me when they decided to throw a blanket over the doll, tie it up, pull it out of the hut and proceed to wail on her with a bec de corbin which incidentally critted and one shotted the doll... Apparently I did too good of a job with the haunt and building up the horror around the doll...
Anyway, that was session 3; next session they will take on Teb...
Sounds like a fun campaign. They really fell for the doppelganger trick, wow!
My party of three adventurers are in a similar place in the AP.
Session 3: They were beaten back at the lodge, barely, and unable to rescue Lady Argentea. They did not know it but Rokhar was out of spells and probably could have been taken, but they decided not to risk the TPK and moved off. Rokhar raised some zombies from dead raiders, then directed them to attack the party camp with three zombies and two Frost Skeletons. Meanwhile, unseen by the party but witnessed in secret by Ten-penny, Rokhar and Izoze squabbled over loyalties and the now-dead sprite Vrixx, then they hustled Lady Argentea away to the portal in the dead of night.
The party survived the undead attack, barely, but again waited to pursue until the next morning, after slaying the Giant Weasel (stand-in for a wandering monster) and looting the lodge. Ten-penny joined their under-strength party as a hireling, told her tale to get the party moving after Lady Argentea.
They made short work of the Frost Firs. The curtain dropped on Session 4 just as the Soulbound Guardian laid down Frost Fall on the party (cliffhanger). After that encounter, they will "catch up" to Rokhar, Fawfein, and a couple sprites who are seemingly guarding Lady Argentea. The way I have set it up, the fey despise Rokhar at this point so the fight might descend into a three-way mess.
The likely outcome is the party will kill Rokhar and drive off the fey, rescuing "Lady Argentea" at last. Strangely, she will not be at all wounded or shaken up by her ordeal. But the doppelganger can Detect Thoughts and will adjust, feigning injury, fear, and fatigue.
Since this was written before the book ever came out what do you guys think of making Captain Hertrig Orlov a Bloodrager with the white dragon bloodline?
That should be fine, why do you ask?
Just bouncing around ideas
Since this was written before the book ever came out what do you guys think of making Captain Hertrig Orlov a Bloodrager with the white dragon bloodline?
I love this idea, thank you. Will be trying it out next session (bloodrager 5).
Thank you for sharing, wertyou2! I hope your players get into the routine and avoid TPKs in the future. There are a lot of tricky encounters still ahead.
I haven't run the encounter like this yet, but I did stat her out and assuming she rages and enlarges when they walk in, having full BAB and the bonuses to strength means when power attacking she deals 2d6+20 damage with a +10 chance to hit. I'm thinking that's a bit too strong, even if it's one enemy vs. the whole party.Since this was written before the book ever came out what do you guys think of making Captain Hertrig Orlov a Bloodrager with the white dragon bloodline?I love this idea, thank you. Will be trying it out next session (bloodrager 5).
Yes, pretty much, but I have it a little different. Enlarged greatsword is 3d6. I have Power attack at +10 to hit, 3d6+16 damage (STR 22 = +9 THF, Power attack adds +6, Magic Weapon +1).
So far the party breezed through the ground floor, took out Bordegga in two rounds, one-shotted Sergeant Yultsev with a critical. Captain Orlov is tired of their shiz.
With my party of 6 mythic PC's, there is no way I ever give them just one target in an encounter, if I do, the encounter is over within a couple of rounds.
I'm learning this. My party is three 3rd-levelers with 25 point buys, plus two wolves as pets, plus a GM PC (Nadya, currently), making six figurines on the board for "their" side. The encounters where I have a single bad guy are over quickly, but adding a bunch of mooks (for example, Pale Tower ground floor) hasn't added tension, just increased the length of the combat. Some of it has been luck, the main melee PC has ended four heavies with Power Attack & Critical for 30+ damage, and I have been rolling terribly on both attack and damage.
My best suggestion is to play the bad guys smart. Have them group up or prep possibly better than before. If the party is having an easy time of it some additional prep or combined encounters can be key. Make them switch up tactics every now and then. Tricky part is letting the PCs shine while still giving them challenges.
My best suggestion is to play the bad guys smart. Have them group up or prep possibly better than before. If the party is having an easy time of it some additional prep or combined encounters can be key. Make them switch up tactics every now and then. Tricky part is letting the PCs shine while still giving them challenges.
I agree with doubling up. In Waldsby, the Pale Tower guards conscripted the barkeep and spellcasting wife after Nadya refused to come quietly. On Pale Tower second floor, I will combine Captain Orlov with other combatants (suggestions?).
Yes, tactics helped in Waldsby, first with an ambush, then I had the mooks working in concert with the spellcaster. They set up a firing line at the edge of an Obscuring Mist so the crossbowmen were concealed while the party was not. The melee character still one-shotted Sergeant Sertane though, and the battle was over quickly after that.
Credit to the players though, they are very experienced.
For kellfox: give your players the idea that reinforcements will arrive soon to the Pale Tower. I did, and it made my players decide to defeat all the enemies in the tower in one go, without rest or sleep. It made for a very exciting session with a commando atmosphere and a lot of danger and suspense.
If they still have an easy time, really let some reinforcements arrive.
That's exactly what I did and it worked really well.
One tip - add something in the room with the goat and the spellcaster. I didn't. There was a paladin. It didn't last long...
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That's exactly what I did and it worked really well.
One tip - add something in the room with the goat and the spellcaster. I didn't. There was a paladin. It didn't last long...
I'm going to have Rohkar make an appearance here and team up with Radosek... he'll be upgraded to a level 5 cleric with a level of mythic; Radosek will be upgraded as well. It will be fun to see how the group reacts to this new development! (They had initially captured him and surrendered him to the mayor in Heldren where he escaped with the help from his doppelganger accomplice)
Brilliant, love it!
I was lucky and had a PC fall for Nadya early-on - they decided to rest in a barn (rather than her home) before they set off for the Tower and so she was easily captured. That added a really nice element to the story, as they had another real reason to go there. It drew them closer to her too, as she suffered for them, and she stayed with them all the way to the end.
(I'm considering playing the child of her and the PC in Hell's Rebels...)
One of my players married Nadya and she is carrying his child as well. They left her in Irrisen "for safety reasons". He promised to come back for her and lead the revolution against Elvanna.
As for Radosek: my group had quite an easy time killing him, but they had lots of trouble with his animated dragon, so they deserved it. One of the players pushed Radosek from the Pale Tower. It had gotten personal.
Second Floor:
Curtain opens in front of the Conservatory, with the liberated Mandragora shrieking in the surprise round (because I screwed up the mirrors, the party arrived on the second floor at the top of the map). During the second round of battle, Perception to notice Captain Orlov barking orders to someone in the next room. Round 3 or 4, Meuriel the Forlarren Bard starts her song of Inspire Courage, and two invisible Atomies sneak attack the ranged fighters (one PC and Nadya). By round 4 or 5, Orlov will attack and Meuriel will join in. Orlov has orders to take out "that peasant b--ch" Nadya Petska and other ranged combatants first.
Holding the Spriggan in reserve depending on how the fight goes. Doppelganger is not present, it was successfully "rescued" by the party in Part 2 and is now at court in Taldor somewhere, quietly strangling nobles in their sleep, and otherwise sowing chaos.
Aerie:
As is. The PCs worship Gozreh and the sylph Cleric is not evil, so I'm allowing the possibility that they will RP their way out of that encounter. Otherwise, she is as good as slaughtered. She has the same orders as Orlov.
Top Floor:
@Luna, yes good idea. If the party rests and levels up to 4th, I'm afraid Radosek will be even more of an easy kill. I may have Radosek press the fight early if it looks like they are going to retreat.
I'm thinking of reviving Izoze from Part 2 to fight with Radosek (she fled the battle at the Winter Portal), or possibly the Spriggan, in addition to Valstoi. The 2d3 ice elementals will use their burrow speed to rise up out of the ice around the PCs all at once, flanking them. Radosek will stand more of a chance if the archers are dead or blinded, so he can fly around and cast spells with impunity.
I did the same as Kellfox with the sylph. There was no reason for the PCs to go all out and the pally in the group wouldn't let them attack unless they were attacked first. They bantered and she left. Granted, left to go warn people but left.
Bringing the Radosek fight down and out into the courtyard is a major combat change and one that can definitely ratchet things up for the PCs who often times especially at low levels are going to do better with the tower's smaller rooms.
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Finished the Pale Tower. The top level with Radosek was as close a fight as I have ever seen. I animated two ice statues described in the ritual chamber, using the Ice Nymph stats from the second floor, and granted the maximum Small Ice Elementals from summon monster + cauldron (6 Ice Elementals). I made the area around the portal slippery with wet ice. Other than that, the encounter was as written.
Radosek lobbed spell after spell while the ice critters gnawed away at the PCs. As the elementals were killed off, so did the PC's party. First the animal companion, then the main melee ranger dropped. The dwarf cleric teamed up with the last PC standing to destroy one of the two ice statues before he also fell. Nadya went down to the last ice statue, which only had 6 HP remaining.
At that point, Radosek had spent all his non-touch spells. His last big save or die spell, Blindness, goes out to the only standing PC, the bow ranger, who finally failed his save and was blinded. With only one blind PC and all others unconscious, and Radosek, and an ice statue still standing, I figured it was over. TPK.
Ice statue attacks the blind ranger, hits, brings him down near zero, he retaliates with alchemist fire, needing max damage to bring down the construct. Rolls it. Still, Radosek's only opponent is blind, so looking good, right?
Radosek begins monologuing about what horrible things he is going to do to all the helpless PCs. The player makes a miracle bluff roll to pretend he is weeping hopelessly over his dead brother, while rifling over his brother's body for a heal potion. Radosek rolls miserably for both perception and sense motive. The PC gets the CMW potion into his brother's mouth, and restores him to 1 HP. So fine, Radosek is only down 15 HP out of 61, this is still in the bag, Radosek will flee after this round and go animate that big ices statue in the courtyard. Players' turn in the round: melee ranger leaps up and attacks, hitting for near max damage. The blind archer ranger follows up with his bow, rapid shot, hitting both times including a critical, which confirms for triple damage. Concealment for being blind? Yeah, both hits stand. Radosek goes down before he can withdraw and heal up. No player roll under 17 in that last round, all damage dice near maximum.
Encounter, and module, over.
These are the moments we all cherish as DMs.
That is far more epic than the encounter in my game!
New GMs, listen to that and emulate it!!
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That was awesome.
These are the kinds of tales that validate a DM's existence.
I've finally gotten my group started on Reign of Winter, and they're currently set to attack the lodge. We could've started this encounter two weeks ago, but they opted to wait for the return of both the pyrokineticest and the hunter (who carries the wand of cure light wounds).
The majority of the group is laying siege to the front while the rogue archer, who has sneaked in through the back and into the kitchen, attempts to find the Countess. My replacement for Ten-Penny, an android kineticist that I'm using to playtest the gambler archetype from Dreamscarred Press named Askani Zero, had already spotted the group and has disappeared from view (they think she went invisible when in fact she folded space around her and is in her room calculating her best odds for survival).
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Thanks for the kudos, will pass along to my players. Having the melee ranger calling out distances, and shouting "fire at my voice!" and then ducking out of the way, so his blinded brother could critical Radosek in the throat with an arrow, when six seconds earlier Radosek was bragging about how he was going to make a necklace out of the ears of all the party in revenge for Valstoi.
I fist-pumped when that Blindness spell landed. I honestly thought it was over. I don't like TPKing but I admit I was caught up in it - Radosek was a great villain to RP. But the two rangers fought on, and won.
Thanks to the staff for a great module, and thanks to all the GMs here with great ideas I stole, too many to list. I'll see y'all in The Shackled Hut gm thread.
It says that Rohkar Cindren is trying to conceal his status as a cleric of Norgorber, and even hides his unholy symbol, "producing it at the last possible moment with Sleight of Hand checks".
Assuming he continues to do this during combat with the PC's, how does this work, exactly? It's a standard action to make a sleight of hand check (which would conflict with casting spells as a standard action) or he could attempt it as a move action, but at a -20 penalty (he would never succeed.)
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I think he is concealing his status from the other members of his group. By the time the party will face him, the rest of the raiders should be dead or fleeing. Also, he will have 3 Skeletons with him. Hard to conceal his nature with them. Thus, I would say he makes full use of the symbol, no sleight of hand.
He pretends to be a secular necromancer with the bandits.
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We started recently playing Reign of Winter. My 1st masteting experience after 6 years of silence. I'm not native eng speaker but I really want to share some stories how campaign started and want I changed.
So we have 3 experienced players and I invited my close friend to join us. So 4 players. Never expected that how much new player can join the flow of the game. I'm really proud that I met such great players (always played with newbies before who killed npcs on sight for exp or something like that).
What I changed in Heldren:
I changed completely the village. It should feel like feudalism with rotten bureaucracy and titles. So I have a titular councilor (let's imagine this is good title) who owns these lands. I left the same npcs who were introduced in book thou like gold-teethed dwarf and elven female who runs apothecary.
We started from wedding. Bride and her husband were meeting guests. Each player's hero was introduced differently. And players started to show theirs heroes. This is really great thing to introduce heroes to players and in the same time I introduce world of Golarion to players.
We had mini RP games maybe I will talk about later if you curious. Those wedding games were great for atmosphere.
Since we have gunslinger it pushed me a idea that I want to play in 17th of our century. Just between dialogues and events I told to my players about one boy who brags about his dad in Oppara and that his dad is cannoneer. Just small things that tell about country and people.
Our barbarian is taldane. And fought in war where Qadira won southern lands from Taldor. He was slave back there but after one more loss Taldor had reforms so no more slaves. Taldane government should have opposition.
I believe that Taldor which I imagine in my game should have revolution with blood and magic soon. I gave that information for another player who is 136 aged dhampir cleric of Abadar. And I gave rank to him. He is like noble and stayed at titular councilor's manor. Small things but that gives to players some info how world works.
Are you still here? (: Cause like I use google translate for some words (: Bear with me.
Gunslinger tiefling from Ustalav came with dhampir's company. And knife master rogue with trapfinding but bonus to conceal a dagger. Rogue was introduced to the game as fakir since player stated that his half-elf from circus with his fellow mime dwarf. And he ACTUALLY did great with a show. For next 10 minuted he took the main role of the game.
Players did some games in this wedding and helped to bride's mother with drunk mime. I want to share more but I'm afraid with my clunky language I can't talk too much and do not want to cause you weary.
And only then RoW starts.
World is really important to me and I find Golarion like a clay, paizo gives some good tools for imagination.
PS. Yeah (: Too much text. Sorry (:
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The wedding is a nice idea to start the story off - it's a better way to bring together a group of adventurers without making them all start in the village (which I don't like).
I'm not sure about making Heldren with a feudal land, it's supposed to be the happier place before you go up to Irrisen. They're supposed to be very different. But, if it works for you then go for it!
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As I'm using Clinton Boomer's Marvel Pathfinder as the setting for mine, I had to change Heldren anyway to make it fit in with the post-apocalyptic steampunk setting that it is. Stamford-in-the-North comes off as a typical village, but it's got a lot more going on just beneath the surface that would attract the PCs notice under normal circumstances, but as I used the events of Murder's Mark to bring them together prior to the start of the unseasonable weather, they were more than a little distracted.
Currently, my players have already assaulted the lodge, rescued the noblewoman, and brought her back to Stamford. They are awaiting word from the council (who will speak with them individually to gain insight as to what transpired) before being sent off to deal with the portal. They totally hate Izoze: she fooled them into thinking that they killed her at the bridge (when in fact she successfully summoned another ice mephit which was then used as a decoy to cover her escape), only to find her alive at the lodge after she prepared the necromancer for the PCs arrival (again, another tactic to buy her time to get to Teb). Before they could take her down, however, she escaped once again and now Izoze is off to warn Teb. Rohkar (or, as he is called in mine, Gerhard Ward) didn't survive his interrogation with the players (in fact, they brought his head back to the council as proof of his demise and claimed the bounty for eliminating the bandits in the area), but before stepping off the mortal coil, he did mention Teb Knotten and the portal. Based on the information that the PCs will give them, backed with what little the Countess tells as well, the council will conclude that an attack on the village is imminent and the only thing standing between them and certain death are the players.
No pressure.
It's been interesting watching them play their Avengers analogs in this, as a couple of them have a mercenary outlook similar to Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy (those being Two-Gun Kid and Hawkeye, the latter even having ties to the Hammerhead Maggia family that came to light last session). And while Black Knight and Vision have more noble reasons to save the village, the rest (Hulk, Human Torch, and Tigra) are just going along to get along. Still, I think the upcoming encounter with the Black Rider may shake them all up just enough to start thinking of themselves as more than just "mercenaries" and see themselves as the heroes they're destined to be.
The wedding is a nice idea to start the story off - it's a better way to bring together a group of adventurers without making them all start in the village (which I don't like).
I'm not sure about making Heldren with a feudal land, it's supposed to be the happier place before you go up to Irrisen. They're supposed to be very different. But, if it works for you then go for it!
Heldren was happy place indeed (: It's about small people who handle well despite past wars and past hungers and unstable border and questionable leaders. Wedding was a good example of this.
I'm pretty sure that Qadira took Taldor's lands like 100 years ago or something. I wanted to feel it fresh so some of my players fought in this war with losing as result.
The thing is why Heldren is feudal land but it's not a bad thing at all. Owner of these lands did well with improving village's life. I know I said rotten bureaucracy but this how Taldor at this moment works and as storyteller I feel I should make the world spin.
Wedding was not just for RP but players had impact on wedding's ending as well. We had mini games/mini quests. I just wanted to make players feel that when they will leave Heldren it will be part of theirs history, that they accomplished something. And I don't want to make any places so my players could think "nah. it's just was a place we were passing through. nothing special".
Irrisen will be different certainly.
And again sorry for my language skills. I'm pretty sure I have mistakes here and there.
If I just look at his stat block, I don't see anyway that Teb Knotten could stand the cold; Moss trolls don't have any immunity or resistance to cold and Teb doesn't have any gear that gives him any immunity or resistance. I am going to assume that Hommelstaub will use one of his five endure elements a day to make sure Teb doesn't freeze but that certainly isn't in Teb stat block. Am I missing something? I searched this thread for answers and didn't see anything.
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If I just look at his stat block, I don't see anyway that Teb Knotten could stand the cold; ....
As a troll he has regeneration. This heals 5hp per round unless he takes fire damage. This would include cold damage and non-lethal damage. Even in extreme cold, he will only take 1d6 damage per minute. This is easily mitigated by his regeneration.
If I just look at his stat block, I don't see anyway that Teb Knotten could stand the cold; ....As a troll he has regeneration. This heals 5hp per round unless he takes fire damage. This would include cold damage and non-lethal damage. Even in extreme cold, he will only take 1d6 damage per minute. This is easily mitigated by his regeneration.
That's clever. Also, polar bears have no cold resistance.
Polar bears are adapted to a cold environment, so they need no cold resistance. Also, they have fur.
If I just look at his stat block, I don't see anyway that Teb Knotten could stand the cold; ....As a troll he has regeneration. This heals 5hp per round unless he takes fire damage. This would include cold damage and non-lethal damage. Even in extreme cold, he will only take 1d6 damage per minute. This is easily mitigated by his regeneration.
Well I guess that would work but it would be uncomfortable. I think Hommelstaub will cast an endure cold on him anyway. Thanks though
Why would anyone do this?
Q24. Vault
The door to this chamber is locked (Disable Device DC
30 to open). Nazhena carries the only key, but the door is
made of ice and can be easily broken (hardness o, hp 9,
break DC 15).
Why put an expensive lock on a door a child could kick through?
Locking the door just means "keep out."
Think of who owns that door - breaking her stuff is basically a capital crime.
The PCs are pretty much the only people in Irrisen with the gumption to enter a baroness's personal quarters and break her stuff.
Re: Teb Knotten - I'd just handwave him being acclimated - he's a monster that's lived in a frigid environment all his life. No need to waste Hommelstaub's magic.
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As a troll he has regeneration. This heals 5hp per round unless he takes fire damage. This would include cold damage and non-lethal damage. Even in extreme cold, he will only take 1d6 damage per minute. This is easily mitigated by his regeneration.Well I guess that would work but it would be uncomfortable. I think Hommelstaub will cast an endure cold on him anyway. Thanks though
I agree it will be uncomfortable. This how i will play PCs with cold resistance. They are cold, but there is no reduced performance (for the most part).
If safely returned to Heldren, Lady Argentea is profuse in her thanks, and rewards her rescuers with a purse of 500 gp.
Is it 500 gp for each player or 500 gp for whole party?
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Whole party.
Anytime there's a reward, whether it's cash or experience, unless specified, it's always assumed to be split amongst the party. :-)
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So yesterday (hi cap yesterday!) we managed to play some encounters. If 1st session was about introduction and roleplay, but in 2nd was all about encounters. I didn't changed anything in encounters. I know people say they had party killed there but I encouraged my players to play smart and to make decent builds or you'll die.
I have few questions, guys. We played for 4 hours and players only ended encounter with talking stag. We had almost each fight for 1 hour. How do you handle? How much time it took at your table? Encounter with the stag took like 40 mins while I really tried to speed up the pace of our game.