So somewhere during the campaign something has gone terribly wrong with the level keeping/xp. The PCs have somehow only attained level eight by the end of Escape from old Korvosa. Anyone have any idea of what module that I could run that would bump them up to level 9 so that they at least have a fighting chance in the Cinderlands or rather before A History Of Ashes begins?
Thanks
Instead of a full module, consider one of the shorter PFS scenarios if you find one or two that could be adjusted patron/starter wise.
Just leveling them to 9 has crossed my mind, as it would be infinitely easier. However, one of our member won't be at the next game, almost guaranteed, so I didn't want to start right in with one missing.
Appreciate the idea of the harrowing
You should definitely use Kaer Maga, as it is on the way to the Cinderlands. I'm not really familiar with the 'Shattered Star' AP, but its third installment, The Asylum Stone takes place in Kaer Maga and starts at level 8. Maybe you can get some inspiration from this module.
The Shadow Gambit and The Twofold Demise are also set in Kaer Maga, although you will need to make some level adjustment.
There's a PFS scenario, "Feast of Sigils" that's set in Kaer Maga that has an appropriate level range. I added that to my now-defunct "Rise of the Runelords" campaign last year, and it went pretty well.
Alternatively, there's another PFS Season 4 scenario, "The Cultist's Kiss" set in Palin's Cove that makes a decent side-trek for Crimson Throne.
I'll also second "King Xeros of Old Azlant" as a side-trek for any city with a harbor. I ran that one in my Runelords game as well, placing it in Magnimar. I re-skinned the ancient magical ship as the "Emperor Xin" and changed the Azlanti trappings to Thassilonian.
The Pathfinder Society scenario Fortress of the Nail is a lot of fun at 8th level. It takes place in the Hell Knight fortress 15 miles outside of Korvosa. Cressida could task the players with acquiring a Chelaxian noblewoman held prisoner there. Alternatively, Trinia could have ended up there, having been captured by Hellknights on her way to Harse.
A good one to lead into History of Ashes would be Seven Swords of Sin, though I don't remember the level range, so it may require some tinkering. But it's in Kaer Maga which is right by the Cinderlands.
I would advise against this, Seven Swords of Sin was a module designed by a contest at Paizo of, "Who can make the deadliest room in a dungeon?" They then ran the rooms at a convention to see who's room is deadliest.
Later on, they had a bright idea of combining some of the choicest rooms into a module. This module is basically designed to kill parties.
A good one to lead into History of Ashes would be Seven Swords of Sin, though I don't remember the level range, so it may require some tinkering. But it's in Kaer Maga which is right by the Cinderlands.I would advise against this, Seven Swords of Sin was a module designed by a contest at Paizo of, "Who can make the deadliest room in a dungeon?" They then ran the rooms at a convention to see whose room is deadliest.
Later on, they had a bright idea of combining some of the choicest rooms into a module. This module is basically designed to kill parties.
I don't know the module well and I cannot comment on its deadly character. It was designed for level 7, still in the 3.5 system (as is CotCT). The main problem I would have with this module is this: the quest is about retrieving a sword, which is the same quest as in 'Skeletons of Scarwall'. So if I were to use it, I would definitely contemplate making it about something else than a sword.
Tels,
If I recall correctly, didn't you try to insert Seven Swords of Sin in CotCT. How did it go for your group?
I did indeed use it in my group. See, my group was between 9th and 11th level, I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. The reason I chose that one, was because most of the players in my group had never done a dungeon delve before, and I wanted them to have some experience before entering Scarwall (where the very castle is hostile to the players).
I ended up killing 4 characters in this dungeon. The first was a Human Barbarian, the second was a Human Sword and Board Fighter (the Fighter replaced the dead Barbarian), the third was a Dwarven Rogue/Shadowdancer, the 4th was an Elven Fighter/Wizard/Arcane Archer. I also killed a Cohort Paladin/Cleric, but that was a big goof on my part because I forgot he was detecting evil and should have known about an enemy, so I retconned it.
Nearly every room in the dungeon is a potential TPK if the parties don't approach it correctly (aka, maximum paranoia). In fact, it's easier to list the rooms that aren't potential TPK, than the ones that are. It's funny, the Module sells itself as for 7th level characters, but the NPC Iconics given for it are 8th level.
However, this module did what I needed it to do, and it changed the mentality of the group on how they approached dungeons. Up to this point, some of the characters were blowing all of their best abilities on early fights, instead of holding them until needed (15-minute workday syndrome). They approached Scarwall much more cautiously than they did Seven Swords, so, overall, I call it a win.
Now, of note, I did do a little beefing up on the encounters, like max HP and changed some spells around on some bad guys. Tirana (the BBEG at the end) was also completely custom designed by me, but there were no deaths in that part, just a grueling fight. The Doctor (a wizard encountered in the module) escaped and I decided to change his build so that I could teach the party a lesson about 15-minute workdays (he ambushed them while resting).
[spoiler=Seven Swords of Sin)There was one room that I played completely as written (except having max HP) was this room with an underground lake. A boat was the only way across (they were nearly out of spells at this point) and when they attempted to cross, an Elemental capsized it. Then a Black Dragon begins to play 'Dunk the party'. This fight killed off the Dwarven Shadowdancer and the Elven Arcane Archer.[/spoiler]
Thanks for sharing Tels! That's a very entertaining story and it sounds like you had a positive outcome in the end which is good.
But a Black Dragon and an Elemental ambushing a 7th level party on a boat?!?
That's brutal!
Frankly I'm amazed that only two PCs died in that encounter
Thanks for sharing Tels! That's a very entertaining story and it sounds like you had a positive outcome in the end which is good.
But a Black Dragon and an Elemental ambushing a 7th level party on a boat?!?
That's brutal!
Frankly I'm amazed that only two PCs died in that encounter
It wasn't a 7th level party though, that's the thing.
My party, at that time, consisted of the following:
Level 9 Gnome rogue 8/duelist 1
level 10 human (shoanti) Oracle of Fire
Level 11 Elven Fighter (archer) 6/Wizard (transmuter) 1/Arcane Archer 4
Level 11 Elven Wizard 3/Cleric 3/Mystic Theurge 5
Level 12 Dwarven Rogue/Shadowdancer (last of the original party members)
Level 10 Human NPC Bard (Trinia)
Level 9 Elven Cleric 5/Paladin 3 cohort of the Mystic Theurge
One of the big problems was the lack of a full arcane caster. They also had blown all of their high level slots on relatively weak encounters previously.
The encounter calls for a Young Adult Black Dragon and a Large Water Elemental. Now Pathfinder Young Adult Black Dragons have a CMB of +19, while in 3.5 they have a Grapple bonus of +24, so Pathfinder downgraded them somewhat. I used the stats for Pathfinder monsters in this encounter.
Anyway, basically, the Elemental forms a whirlpool and capsizes the boat while the Dragon grapples and drowns them. In this encounter, the dragon is God. While under water, no one has line of effect, nor line of sight to him, so a lot of the party's ability to stop him is negated. The Dragon's CMB was basically an auto-success for him, and he actually played with the players in the water, by letting them go, and then catching them and dragging them back under. Then encounter lasted for over 44 rounds (I recall the Arcane Archer having to cast Gravity Bow twice).
I honestly thought the party would crush this encounter and then move on, but this one encounter took something like 8 hours to run. It ended up with the death of the Shadowdancer and the Arcane Archer (and the death of the dragon), though I managed to roll both of their deaths into plot elements for later in the story. Essentially, the Shadowdancer got mind-wiped by Tirana and convinced him she was his best friend, and the Archer got captured by some chuuls and dragged back to their lair (side encounter I designed myself) where he was offered up as food for the hatchlings along with a Half-orc rogue (new player).
My party was well above the expected level threshold and this encounter still kicked their ass. Largely because of the tactics of the dragon and the elemental. Fighting underwater sucks!