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Something like this?
Awesomeness!...Bravo sir!
I will keep this in mind should my players do exactly this, I hope you don't mind.
Heh, glad someone likes it!
I re-write a lot of scenes from Paizo modules. I'm not a fan of some of the dialogue because I think the way it's written makes cunning villains with ultra-high intelligence (Baphomet, for example) sound mustache-twirly evil instead of terrifyingly evil and cruel.
I already asked this. It was an error in editing. He only speaks common.
==Aelryinth
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Something like this?
Awesomeness!...Bravo sir!
I will keep this in mind should my players do exactly this, I hope you don't mind.
Heh, glad someone likes it!
I re-write a lot of scenes from Paizo modules. I'm not a fan of some of the dialogue because I think the way it's written makes cunning villains with ultra-high intelligence (Baphomet, for example) sound mustache-twirly evil instead of terrifyingly evil and cruel.
I agree; however, I lack your writing skills. Please feel free to share more.
I agree; however, I lack your writing skills. Please feel free to share more.Something like this?
Awesomeness!...Bravo sir!
I will keep this in mind should my players do exactly this, I hope you don't mind.
Heh, glad someone likes it!
I re-write a lot of scenes from Paizo modules. I'm not a fan of some of the dialogue because I think the way it's written makes cunning villains with ultra-high intelligence (Baphomet, for example) sound mustache-twirly evil instead of terrifyingly evil and cruel.
I suppose I can take requests.....
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I re-wrote the intro to the campaign, and while it's not useful to anyone else who has started the campaign already it might be useful to someone looking to run it soon.
Here it is:
You are suddenly in a dark place. Your heads throb with thunderous headaches; your ears ring. You are having trouble breathing. After a few moments, the sounds of rocks clattering, coughing, and moans of pain, as well as the choking smell of dust become apparent. Your senses slowly return, but it remains black as pitch. Groping around in the darkness, you feel rubble all around you, and realize that your bodies are covered in dirt and filth.
Except for general aches and pains, and a few minor cuts and bruises, you seem to be mostly undamaged. Your headache slowly subsides, and memory begins to return of how you came to be in this place:
Armasse officially began at noon. This festival is traditionally an opportunity for scholars and priests to come together to study the lessons of history from wars long past, though with the death of Aroden the holy day has become more about training commoners in the use of weaponry, choosing squires and ordaining new priests. Over time, Armasse has grown to encompass jousting competitions, mock duels and battle reenactments, as well as other such festival events.
As the sun reached its zenith on this beautiful late summer day in mid Arodus, festivities were to be kicked off with the blessing of Lord Hulrun himself, ruler of Kenabres. Hulrun was well past his middle years, but the seasoned inquisitor had a keen gaze, as well as strength and purpose in his movements that belied his advancing age. Clad in resplendent full plate, he was every inch the soldier as he took the stage to address the crowd gathered in Clydwell Plaza. The lord of Kenabres simply raised his hand and a hush spread across the mass of onlookers, but he would have no chance to utter even a single word.
Most of the gathered people were facing east and thus spared from blindness as a light from behind that made the sun seem but a candle in comparison etched Hulrun's shadow into the Cathedral's facade. A half second later the sound of a thunderous explosion assaulted your ears and you were hurled into the people in front of you as a shock-wave tore through the city.
To the west, the fortress known as the Kite - the location of Kenabres's wardstone - was nowhere to be seen, and in its place a terrifying pillar of demon fire, lightning, and smoke stretched to the heavens. Of course, all was not lost in that mere instant alone. A moment later, a powerful roar accompanied a welcome sight rising from the crowd - Kenabres's greatest guardian was making her presence known. A tall, slender woman in shining silver armor strode forward through the press even as her height tripled, then continued to grow. Silver wings unfurled from her back and her neck elongated as she took wing over the plaza, no longer a woman but a majestic Silver Dragon. Terendelev was well known to the denizens of Kenabres, though she did not often flaunt her true form. Today however, her presence was a calming influence on the otherwise fear-stricken crowd.
Of course, hers were not the only wings rising into the air at that moment.
Above, another form streaked across the sky, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, his powerful frame wrapped in crimson flesh and wreathed in unholy fire and lightning, gripped a flaming sword and whip. If Terendelev bolstered the crowd’s spirits, Khorramzadeh the Storm King of the Worldwound shattered them with a simple glance. His terrible gaze swept across the plaza and all hell broke loose. Screaming citizens bolted in every direction, and you found yourselves hard pressed to avoid being trampled.
Demon and Dragon met in a titanic midair collision; Gouts of super-chilled water flashed to steam as they met the Balor-Lord’s fiery hide, and the flaming sword tore at the Dragon’s breast, leaving blackened gashes where gleaming silver scales used to be. The brutality of the fight was matched only by its swiftness, for the Storm King was far too strong of an opponent even for Terendelev to hold off for long. A mighty swing hobbled Terendelev's left wing, while a second removed her right wing at the shoulder and the grappled opponents hurtled through the air to smash into the facade of the Cathedral. Wails of Despair rose from the chaos as people desperately attempted to flee the crumbling plaza, but the nightmare scene only grew worse.
The ground continued to shake and massive chasms spread through the streets from where the Kite used to stand, disgorging a horde of demons into the streets of Kenebres. No one was safe from the onslaught, and civilian and soldier alike were torn to shreds by rending claws and gnashing teeth. World-breaking demons, 25 feet tall with four arms and great, bony wing tore up through the paving stones and set about destroying every structure within reach. As you turned to flee from these new threats, more fissures from their arrival tore through the plaza square and this time there was nowhere to run - The ground fell away beneath your feet, angling away into the black chasm below.
Even as you slipped below the heaving earth, your gazes met with the mortally wounded dragon, her life's blood pouring down the steps of the Cathedral of St. Clydwell. Weather by some intelligent design beyond comprehension, or as a random act of mercy in her dying moments, she was compelled to intervene in the only way she was able; to save what few souls she could from the madness of the days events. Her blood-soaked talon stretched in your direction and suddenly your fall slowed. Your bodies floated into the chasm as if feathers wafting on a light breeze. Yet there was nothing you could do to prevent yourselves from drifting downward, nor could you stop falling rubble and torn corpses from buffeting you against the chasm walls, and as you drifted down into the depths, the last thing you saw was the Storm King standing before your savior's broken body, bellowing triumphantly as his sword tore full through her throat. As her severed head fell, the rift above you slammed shut, and the light of the world was gone.
He was also blindsided after breaking his sword on the wardstone. It doesn't sound like they were ever evenly matched even when he was non mythic.
Creative Director
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Does Mutasafen give an xp if the party resolve things peacefully? That is if he helps them and they let him leave do they get the full 34,800, part of that, none of that? I ask because other NPC's give full XP as if defeated should the party resolve things peacefully? For that matter what happens with his assitant does it aid him (and thus the PC's) or does it aid Minagho?
EDIT
One more question if they let him leave does he take his lab i.e the 12k worth of supplies and the other items in the lab itself or does he just leave and let the party loot it?EDIT 2
Was I the only person who found the concept of a magical generator powered by a ring as a magical power source utterly fascinating not just for its design but for the options it opens up in the distant future to allow for other magical power sources? Cheap clean energy from a ring of sustanance powers half a dozen city blocks?
As a general rule, if the PCs encounter someone the adventure thinks they're gonna fight, but they resolve the situation peacefully or without a fight, they still have overcome and defeated the encounter. And as such they still gain full XP for the encounter.
If they let him leave, whether or not he takes his lab supplies or not depends on if the PCs let him. If it's his choice, of course he takes his stuff! :-)
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Creative Director
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Dratted open ended statements . . .
"When the PCs arrive at the Vault of Graves, Nocticula alerts
the two coloxus scribes in area Es, and they gather here to
protect the vault. The coloxuses do not join the PCs' battle
against the demonic shades in area E1, but if the PCs drag
that fight here, they must contend with both the shades
and the demons. These coloxuses are more powerful than
typical members of their kind and possess the arcane
mythic simple template."Okay so if the fight comes in here they engage but are they just here to protect or are they here to challenge the PC's? That is if the party fights they get involved but if the party just walks through do they ignore them? From what I can see they fight but that seems a bit of a waste of two such rare constructs.
It's up to the GM, really, as a way to challenge parties that are unusually powerful or need a bit more XP.
I could be wrong, but I believe the elixirs cannot be teleported because of their instability, but I don't recall the crystals having such a description. If that is the case, there is no continuity error. Otherwise you are right and another means of transport would need to be inserted to prevent a plot hole.
So Nahyndrian cannot be teleported, but that makes me wonder. Can it be moved with Gate? With teleportation the travelers disappear and reappear in the new location. With Gate, they open a physical gateway to another location/plane and the travelers actually walk through it like a door.
Clearly Nahyndrian does not resist interplanar travel or they wouldn't be able to use the Midnight Fane to transport them to the material plane. A gate is not really any different than that Abyssal rift, and can just connect to a different point on the same plane if you want.
Now that said, it seems unlikely that the Demons would have enough disposable resources at their beck and call to have a Cleric capable of casting Gate move the crystals for them, but it's an interesting distinction and I would be interested in hearing if it's possible. It would make getting a sample back to the crusade a bit easier if the party could get access to it.
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How does using the wand of daylight work? Since the Midnight Isles have the impeded trait for light spells, casting daylight requires a concentration check DC 23 Does the user make a concentration check with his own concentration bonus, or does he make it with the wand's bonus (5 caster level, 1 stat, so +6)?
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Creative Director
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How does using the wand of daylight work? Since the Midnight Isles have the impeded trait for light spells, casting daylight requires a concentration check DC 23 Does the user make a concentration check with his own concentration bonus, or does he make it with the wand's bonus (5 caster level, 1 stat, so +6)?
You'd use the wand's roll, so +6. This is a case where a staff or cast from your head is better.
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You could scare them with statues, chains and leftovers from failed performers or pets. Have them meet some of those brain-dead winners. Or build a scenario where they are one of the lucky survivors.
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Creative Director
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Okay need some advice if the PCs successfully entertain Vellexia and accept her invitation to perform at her manor. There amulets of True Faith have given them a warning but we have to bards that insist on going. So I guess my question is how would ya'll handle this. JJ I'm looking at you specifically oh mighty T-Rex but any kind of help would be appreciated.
I would push your players' boundaries, as far as your and their comfort level allows. And keep in mind that she's chaotic evil; she'll probably be doing her best to get at least one, if not ALL of the PCs to go chaotic and/or evil in the types of things she asks them to do.
What I would perhaps do would be to track down a large extravagant map of a manor house and dungeon, and have the PCs get in over their heads and perhaps end up in said dungeon and have to find a way to escape... or at the very least have the situation escalate so that the PCs end up in a fight against her and her manor's guards and pets in a battle that should be in and of itself epic and deadly. I wouldn't worry about staying "on schedule" with the AP either, but would play it by ear and perhaps even build some sort of link between Hepzamirah and Vellexia, so that when the PCs find that link, they feel like they actually DID find a secret way to win the adventure.
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Creative Director
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I like it JJ thanks. Are you suggesting they skip over Nocticula entirely?
Not at all. In fact, if they get in over their heads in that manor, Nocticula can be the one who shows up to bail them out, after which point the PCs will owe her a favor... although not necessarily the one they THINK they owe her...
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You know, it's really kinda sad/silly that I threw a Thanatotic Titan at my players before they even met Nocticula, because one of them was going around trying to raise their notoriety level by claiming to be an up and coming god.
What's worse is they killed it, with only a single strike hitting them. Damned Emergency Force Sphere and smiting Paladins.
Anyone have some ideas on what to have PCs encounter, if anything while wind walking up the river at the end? Like usual it seems like a way to avoid all encounters unless they choose otherwise...which could be fine as those encounters are all fluff.
Nope, they listened to the advise and saw all the flying vrocks to avoid that. But they are skimming over the river, a snare like that is a good idea.
Ooops, except I think that wind walk makes you incorporeal.
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Leng Spiders have permanent Arcane Sight, Freedom of Movement and at will dispel magic.
Between veil and mirage arcana, they and the web are utterly invisible.
They see them coming and dispel two of them, hoping to catch a meal or at least drop them into the hilariously poisonous river below for fishing out later.
If you want to make it more fun, put a few fiendish dire crocs in the river below as well.
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I just wanted to say; Yaniel looks kind of like Keira Knightly.
Has anyone come up with any interesting encounters to add to travelling around the midnight city, I want to make sure there are several encounters there (mostly resolvable without Combat or with if the Paladin gets too enthusiastic) and as I am about to start my preparation I wondered if there were any I could steal, it is more ideas/description I am interested in as it seems to me that most npc's are needing customisation for each group
The CN Witch in my campaign accepted Nocticula's Profane Ascension, over the warnings of her familiar, the Talisman of True Faith, and Arueshalae. It was completely in character, but this really complicates everything.
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To follow up on FractalLaw, I also have a PC who accepted the Profane Ascension.
Does it have any in-AP down sides, or is it just a "scary GM trump card"?
I really played up Alushinyrra as a 'city of temptations', and the CN tengu bard accepted them ALL. He shacked up with a succubus. He joyfully dined on the local cuisine, and, on learning that the wonderful 'maggot steaks' he was enjoying were actually damned human souls (larvae), he just shrugged and said, "Oh, well, they were damned anyway," and kept right on eating.
So by the time Nocticula offered her gift to everyone, he said, "Ah, why not?"
So I shifted him to CE (I mean, knowingly eating human souls and then bonding with a demon lord? Seriously?), had Arushelae rip her bond off of him, and the player is just eating is up, as he took 'Beyond Morality' and he doesn't think there are going to be any repercussions. (I already mentioned that his soul was now damned, and he just said, "Ah, well, maybe I'll come back as a tasty larva!")
So as a GM, I'm in a bit of a bind: The other players really LIKE the player himself, but are pretty much ready to kick the tengu bard out of their party for accepting the gift.
I'd like some in-story way to massively punish the bard so that he'll drop the gift and atone for his actions without TPK'ing the party. (The player would be totally OK with it; we have an excellent separation of roleplay from person here, so hosing the bard is absolutely an option.)
I'm just wondering whether other people had to deal with this, and what they did about it. With Nocticula reappearing in Book 6, it limits my options, as whatever happens now has to align with those events as well.
EDIT: I should probably clarify a bit: The other players are distressed, because they're facing the inevitable, "Why would my PC keep traveling with the psycho evil bard?" question. So there's a general consensus that the bard has reached uncomfortable levels of misbehavior, and rather than a sudden out-of-game change of heart, the players would like to see something happen to the bard to convince him to make a far more visceral and realistic in-game change of heart.