What sorta prep is needed for the Waking Rune?

[FanaticRat]

I'd like to play this scenario one day, and it's being hosted today, but I'm not sure if I should go for it--from all the horror stories I've heard, your character needs to be MASSIVELY optimized (and have banked enough for a true resurrection, it seems) to even have a shot and my character, well...isn't.

I don't need examples or spoilers or anything like that, I just need a good idea of the level of quality of PC one needs to bring in order to succeed at this sort of thing, or at least not die horribly. I'm not a stranger to high level play but this seems above and beyond.

[BigNorseWolf]

If you're that worried and don't have the means to ressurect... don't play.

[FanaticRat]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

If you're that worried and don't have the means to ressurect... don't play.

Even if I don't play today (which I probably won't) I want to know how much I need to prepare for when I do eventually play it.

For the record, I can afford a Resurrection, but not a True Resurrection (I heard there was something he could do that requires True Res if you die).

[Benrislove]

Spoiler:

If you play on hard mode, it is possible you'll end up in the sun. which requires the true res.

Otherwise, you'll probably be fine with just enough for raise dead.

I don't want to give away too much, but here's some stuff that comes up.

Curse, Poisons, clouds, spells, spells, spells, creative solutions.

It tests basically every bit of prep you could do, so if there is anything you think you might ever want to deal with anything ever, it's a good idea to have it.

Krune is a wizard who specializes in conjuration magic (this should be pretty known at this point)

Look over the conjuration school, ALL OF IT, and that should give you a basic idea of what he does.

Krune is powerful (he's a runelord) and his spell effects are also powerful.

If you can figure out how to beat the conjuration school of magic then you can defeat krune, as he personify's it.

[Jussi Leinonen]

Good preparation beats optimization. In this scenario even more than usual. A balanced party and prepared, thinking players go a long way.

Go for it. It can be a bit risky (I've GM'd it once and my group came through unscathed) but it's fun and epic.

[Nefreet]

When I played this, as my character's 33rd game, we had a pretty optimized party makeup, we played high tier (not hard mode, though), and it took us over 6 hours to finish. And my character almost died.

When I GMed it, for a group of 5 people ranging 7-9, totally not optimized, they beat it in 4.5 hours. There were some harrowing moments in a couple of the encounters, but they pulled through.

There are certain gimmicks in the scenario, that, if you can figure out a way around, make the final encounter much easier.

If you're worried about your character dying, I'd say playing the lower tier with an optimized party is the way to go.

If you're looking for a challenge, play high tier, and be prepared for some pain.

[Samish Lakefinder]

I think a lot of your experience will depend on your who you play with, not how optimized your characters are. Don't play with someone that will get bored during puzzles and have their character wonder off.

[Lab_Rat]

The scenario can be done with a somewhat optimized group. No one in my group was super optimized. We had a slightly caster heavy party. 1 wizard, 2 clerics, a melee alchemist, a magus, and a rogue. I think you can make up for a lot with prep.

General knowledge going into the scenario
1) You are going into Krune's sanctum
2) Krune is the rune loard of sloth
3) That's conjuration

Just put some thought into it and you will come up with some answers.
Even so, quite a bit of this scenario is blind freaking luck. If you die, you die. I wouldn't worry about that aspect of the game too much.

[Mike Lindner]

Good tactics wins over preparation.
Preparation wins over character build.

Even a completely unoptimized character played really well can be very effective. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses, don't be afraid to try ideas that might seem nutty.

[kinevon]

And don't forget your consumables! There is always benefit from using the right consumable at the right time.

[Iammars]

+1 on the consumables. I spent the time before hand looking over all my chronicles for partially charged wands that I could buy, while also picking up some scrolls. (False life and bear's endurance) It may be worth looking over your chronicle sheets to see what you can pull from them. I was surprised about a custom item I had that could potentially save my life or someone else's life on it.

[FanaticRat]

Well I gave it my all and we still tpk'd. We were doing so well too...

[BigNorseWolf]

Mike Linder wrote:

Good tactics wins over preparation.

Preparation wins over character build.

Keep hearing this.

Never see it.

Your tactical ability is incredibly limited by the stop motion nature of combat. If you're not built to take a hit you can be hit, you will be hit, and you will be toast.

[terry_t_uk]

LOTS !

I played online - we met up 30 minutes before to look at spells, buffs etc. I realise this is more difficult for a F2F esecially at a con but you might want to consider beforehand what spells/buffs etc to ask for, what items to purchase and bring your "A" game (A+ game even better).

Once the game starts, work as a team (I've played many a PFS game where one character buffs himself despite the fact that some of those buffs would be better on another character).

Oh and be willing to split any raise dead costs (call it team bonding)

Good Luck :-)