|
Our group encountered a pet stirge on the road to Ravenmoor, which the barbarian pregen quickly crushed into a bloody pulp. The (two) barbarians then proceeded to accidentally offend the little boy whose pet the stirge was while the paladin tried to make amends.
We wandered around town a little bit, and went and talked to a couple of the merchants, including the weaver. We also went to the effigy...although I don't remember whether we actually fought the effigy or not (I want to say we didn't).
The paladin went off on his own to talk to the mayor, cast detect evil on him, and found him to be incredibly evil.
Then the feast started, and we won the knife throwing contest, then killed the strange greased-up plant pig thing.
The paladin confronted the mayor at the feast and for his trouble got poisoned and fell asleep for a few hours...never split the party. He did, however, before he left, tell us that the mayor was an evil bastard.
The barbarians confronted the mayor as everyone was sitting down to eat, got a spectacular roll on sense motive, and knew the mayor was not exactly being forward with us. Since the barbarian had also previously been told the mayor was evil, he proceeded to crit the mayor's face with a raging barbarian's greatsword...in the middle of everyone. The mayor died....or so it appeared.
The mayor's brother, a ton of cultists, and the weaver all attacked us. We downed a few of the cultists, and the barbarians slapped the silly out of the mosquito thing and the strange monkey looking thing that used to be the mayor's brother. The weaver transformed into some spellcaster thing and proceeded to charm me and make me start removing my armour while everybody except one barbarian got poisoned by the cultists and fell asleep in the middle of combat. After running out of spells the crazy shapeshifting weaver bugged out and we got the taxes from the town and went home (after rescuing the paladin from where he was stuffed in some sort of cellar space).
We were done with the module in less than three hours.
|
|
Ohh wow. That would be a rough encounter if asll those things came at once.
My optimized group had a hard time with the final boss alone. Let alone the whole mess of them minus a party member.
Charm makes the person your friend. Not slave. Convincing you to take your armor off would not work in a fight, or her allies attacking yours breaks the spell.
Our paladin detected evil on the mayor and passed out. So we knew he was uber evil as well.
|
Feast of Ravenmoore is my favorite module. Its too bad you guys created such a crappy experience from such excellent source material.
I would strongly suggest finding a different GM to run it again for you. Maybe the GM who ran it the first time could sit on the other side of the screen this time.
While the GM may be at least partially responsible it sounds like the group had a severe case of murder hobo'ism. There isn't always a lot you can do to counter that.
The vast majority of scenarios and modules benefit when the players more or less decide to stay on the clearly marked tracks and NOT try to "break" the scenario.
|
| 11 people marked this as a favorite. |
Wow, your group takes their murderhoboing serious! ;)
You may not have known this, but only part of the villagers were cultists. Looking at it from the villager's viewpoint: A group of Pathfinders came to their festival, played some games, shared their food, then suddenly one of them pulled out a big sword and for no good reason killed their mayor. Naturally, every able-bodied man acted to protect the women & children from these blood-thirsty maniacs. Even Desna reached out to protect them, drawing an aspect of herself from their mayor's dying body. It was a confusing battle, there may have been a big spider and strange monkey-looking thing trying to drive off the murderous Pathfinders. In the end, it was a massacre. The Pathfinders slaughtered all who opposed them. After the villagers fled into the forest, the mayor's home was ransacked and the treasury was stolen. Ravenmoor has been devastated. May Desna protect us from psychotic Pathfinders!
The effigy is put away in the daytime. It is only out at night. Unless you went into the Chenowicz home you probably shouldn't have fought it. I think that Yottsu hoshi above is being harsh, but I agree that you missed some fun roleplay & plot by a single player deciding that suspicion of evil is a death sentence.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Yes, this is a great scenario with lots of creepy atmosphere and role-playing. Sorry you missed out on that - but then, it doesn't sound like this module was really your group's style. A lot of the modules are actually full of roleplay and are meant to experienced as a story, not just battled on a map.
Something to remember: it is not illegal to be evil. Even if it was illegal, you still murdered the mayor in cold blood with no evidence of wrongdoing beyond, "a guy with magic powers you can't see told me he was evil, even though you've known the Mayor your whole life and don't think he is."
Everyone's group looks at things differently, but just so you're aware of the campaign rules in case you go to a convention or something: at many tables, the barbarian would have been marked "irrevocably evil" and retired from the campaign permanently. Likely the other players would require at least an atonement, if they weren't retired as well (there isn't much detail on what they did).
Ah, so the paladin acting on his Detect Evil to guide his actions is okay, but the barbarian trusting the paladin and his own instincts to back them up is not.
Mmm, yes. Double logic standards, here.
==Aelryinth
|
Ah, so the paladin acting on his Detect Evil to guide his actions is okay, but the barbarian trusting the paladin and his own instincts to back them up is not.
Mmm, yes. Double logic standards, here.
==Aelryinth
If the paladin had swung his greatsword at the mayor and split his head open in the middle of the feast...I think we would be saying the exact same thing.
|
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Ah, so the paladin acting on his Detect Evil to guide his actions is okay, but the barbarian trusting the paladin and his own instincts to back them up is not.
Mmm, yes. Double logic standards, here.
==Aelryinth
Would it surprise you that the Pathfinder Society has lots of agents that detect as evil, with the same intensity (or even greater) as the mayor? There are probably over a hundred clerics of evil deities working alongside the barbarians and paladins of the Society. Should they receive a greatsword to the face if they tell a lie? I'm just saying; if the barbarian is serious about cleansing the world of evil, he should start at the Grand Lodge :)
It's the 'backing of his instincts' that's the key there, the 'detect evil' is the icing, not the cake.
The barbarian felt something was up, knew the mayor was evil, and acted pre-emptively on his instincts...correctly. I'd call it rash and impulsive, but certainly not evil. Aggressive CN or TN, more like.
I.e. it's not your job to sit there and wait to be attacked so you can defend yourself, and be at a disadvantage.
Now, how much of that whole thing was metagaming is a whole nuther point.
==Aelryinth
|
|
Wow. You 0wnz3rd that module.
Did you have fun?
If you did, then fantastic! Congratulations on a fun run.
If you didn't, or think that it could have been more fun, then perhaps your group could try it again with a change of playstyle.
I assure you, the source material for the module is great. My group had a great deal of fun with it, and my character (the kidnap victim for our run) was deeply impacted by the storyline. Especially the twist ending!
Turns out she'd been a willing participant. O.O
Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
|
So, I haven't played this mission :) so I haven't read the spoiler.
So I don't know how relevant or helpful it is, but the OP and his GM might consider this post by Mike Brock regarding what GMs may do when PCs commit open murder in public. (Specifically in terms of adding local law enforcement consequences.)
|
|
I assure you, the source material for the module is great. My group had a great deal of fun with it, and my character (the kidnap victim for our run) was deeply impacted by the storyline. Especially the twist ending!** spoiler omitted **
Your GM handled that wrong, then.
|
Would it surprise you that the Pathfinder Society has lots of agents that detect as evil, with the same intensity (or even greater) as the mayor? There are probably over a hundred clerics of evil deities working alongside the barbarians and paladins of the Society. Should they receive a greatsword to the face if they tell a lie? I'm just saying; if the barbarian is serious about cleansing the world of evil, he should start at the Grand Lodge :)Ah, so the paladin acting on his Detect Evil to guide his actions is okay, but the barbarian trusting the paladin and his own instincts to back them up is not.
Mmm, yes. Double logic standards, here.
==Aelryinth
I use the Pathfinders to get close to my current targets. You think Faction Leaders and Venture Captains are the only ones who know where you are going before you do? Ha! Blood Mistress Jakalyn and her spies allow me to get missions close to our marked targets. Being a Crusader of He Who Walks in Blood, I detect as the Mantis does. Will you kill me as I walk into the office of your beloved Venture Captains? I doubt it.
|
|
Ah, so the paladin acting on his Detect Evil to guide his actions is okay, but the barbarian trusting the paladin and his own instincts to back them up is not.
Mmm, yes. Double logic standards, here.
==Aelryinth
No idea if you are involved in the group or just coming to the defense of..., well, i don't really know what it is you are defending. I didn't say the paladin was "ok" either; I left it unsaid to avoid people accusing me of hating on paladins. To my mind, there is nothing "OK" about the entire description of the game.
|
|
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I assure you, the source material for the module is great. My group had a great deal of fun with it, and my character (the kidnap victim for our run) was deeply impacted by the storyline. Especially the twist ending!** spoiler omitted **
Your GM handled that wrong, then.
** spoiler omitted **
Yeah, I had one PC covered in pig grease with bite marks say he was done with the feast. He just wanted a bath and to go to bed. So I had her offer him a bath, and her parents jumped him naked in the bath tub alone. Too bad for the NPCs it was monk.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
One other thing I forgot about running this...
I have an 'Appalachian twang' that normally lays dormant, but I brought it out in force for this. Every NPC they met looked them up and down, and said, 'y'aren't from 'round here, are ya?"
So much that the party started saying "No, we're not from around here." before I could say it.
If you really play them up as nice but strange backwoods folk, it works best.
|
|
Yes, this is a great scenario with lots of creepy atmosphere and role-playing. Sorry you missed out on that - but then, it doesn't sound like this module was really your group's style. A lot of the modules are actually full of roleplay and are meant to experienced as a story, not just battled on a map.
Something to remember: it is not illegal to be evil. Even if it was illegal, you still murdered the mayor in cold blood with no evidence of wrongdoing beyond, "a guy with magic powers you can't see told me he was evil, even though you've known the Mayor your whole life and don't think he is."
Everyone's group looks at things differently, but just so you're aware of the campaign rules in case you go to a convention or something: at many tables, the barbarian would have been marked "irrevocably evil" and retired from the campaign permanently. Likely the other players would require at least an atonement, if they weren't retired as well (there isn't much detail on what they did).
Yes, there are many campaign-legal PCs who either detect as evil right out of the box, or have point sources of evil traveling with them. Or both.
Note that an x-neutral cleric of an x-evil deity will detect as evil, right from 1st level.
Also note that it is possible to get some campaign-legal "detects as evil" items that are legal to keep, possibly with the cost of an atonement for the PC who acquired it/them, so the item still detects as evil, even if the PC is neutral or even good...
And, of course, it is always possible for almost anyone to detect as evil themselves for a full minute, if they are the target of a fairly popular 1st level spell, infernal healing.
Or the target of a misdirection spell or similar...
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So, when I played through this module, the person with the highest charisma that Shel propositioned was our pregen Kyra. The excited Kyra went off to meet up at the spooky ol' manor early, and the rest of the party followed her because Kyra wantd some help checking the place out so she could make out in peace with Shel. When she and the rest of the party were ambushed the town's dark secrets were brought to light.
As a side note, my tengu barbarian thought very highly of Ravenmoor's cuisine, and endeavors to bring their unique flavors, along with some of the more unique regional cuisines, to the rest of the Inner Sea with a chain of restaurants. She's still in discussions over what the restaurants will be called, she's thinking Nevakali's Soulless Food.
This module provided some awesome opportunities for roleplaying, and I'm looking forward to being able to GM it eventually.
|
|
So, when I played through this module, the person with the highest charisma that Shel propositioned was our pregen Kyra. The excited Kyra went off to meet up at the spooky ol' manor early, and the rest of the party followed her because Kyra wantd some help checking the place out so she could make out in peace with Shel. When she and the rest of the party were ambushed the town's dark secrets were brought to light.
As a side note, my tengu barbarian thought very highly of Ravenmoor's cuisine, and endeavors to bring their unique flavors, along with some of the more unique regional cuisines, to the rest of the Inner Sea with a chain of restaurants. She's still in discussions over what the restaurants will be called, she's thinking Nevakali's Soulless Food.
This module provided some awesome opportunities for roleplaying, and I'm looking forward to being able to GM it eventually.
Oh, please. The only possible name for such a chain of restaurants has to be Stirge Snacks, pronounced as Stir-G Snacks.
Yum yums for the tum-tums.
|
|
I assure you, the source material for the module is great. My group had a great deal of fun with it, and my character (the kidnap victim for our run) was deeply impacted by the storyline. Especially the twist ending!** spoiler omitted **
Your GM handled that wrong, then.
** spoiler omitted **
Ah. I may have jumped to conclusions based on a leading statement.
With that said, it was a super awesome ending and I wouldn't have changed a thing, even if I later discovered that the GM had altered something.
|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
Applesauce fun:
Our elf ranger knocked applesauce into negatives, but our cleric saved him. Given the rural nature of the community, the kid tells his dad, "The tall skinny lady with the dark eyes just hauled off an' kilt Applesauce, then he," points to cleric, "brought 'im back to life!"
The elf got looks from the rest of the town after that, killing the poor boy's pet like that.
|
|
I assure you, the source material for the module is great. My group had a great deal of fun with it, and my character (the kidnap victim for our run) was deeply impacted by the storyline. Especially the twist ending!** spoiler omitted **
Your GM handled that wrong, then.
** spoiler omitted **
Ah. I may have jumped to conclusions based on a leading statement.
** spoiler omitted **
With that said, it was a super awesome ending and I wouldn't have changed a thing, even if I later discovered that the GM had altered something.
That sounds about right.
Lots of great stories in this thread from this adventure. It's actually one of my favorite adventures - great module.
Spoilers ahead - not bothering to put in spoiler tags, because nobody else is, so I'm just assuming this is an open spoiler thread at this point.
When I played it, we actually went to the creepy house before the festival while wandering town, fought the scarecrow, and found the dead tax collector, but didn't find the maze out back yet. We had a monk who is paranoid by nature, and constantly walked around poking things with her staff, so we had a fun "I poke the scarecrow with my staff", "It pokes back. Roll initiative" moment. We actually thought the GM was kidding at first.
Our ninja was seduced by the beauty queen and agreed to meet her. But the entire party was so paranoid about the creepy town that they planned a stakeout, and set up in the bushes to spy on them before he met her. So he starts making out with her, when the ambush happens. The ninja uses Vanishing Trick to disappear, and the rest of us come out of the bushes to attack the ambushers, while the girl is lying there on the ground with her clothing half off.
After this adventure, my barbarian put a rank in Profession: Tax Collector and used that as his day job for the rest of his career (never getting more than a +1 bonus), because he decided tax collecting seemed too dangerous for middle aged bald guys to be doing it.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Not sure if the OP is bragging or lamenting.
Hopefully, everyone had fun?
Seems a shame to me though, this is such a good module with so many good RP opportunities AND some tough combats.
I ran this for a group of friends and actually had them jumping out of their seats at one point. Lots of 'oh gross' comments too. Love this one.
