Seeing my group has been enjoying their Runelords game and we're approaching the halfway point, I was contemplating about possibly having the same group (once they defeat Karzoug) joining the Crusade to defeat the Worldwound, and would like some suggestions on how to do this.
What I was thinking is that at some point, the Mythic Heroes of WotR failed. They were captured by the demons and only Arueshalae escapes to try and recruit the Runelords heroes to try and rescue her comrades.
The question is: Which book of the WotR would be best suited to have the Mythic hero NPCs captured (and converted into half-fiend Mythic slaves, though my group wouldn't know this)? I do have Hero Labs, so rebuilding encounters isn't that big a deal.
The end result of Runelords will have my group at level 17 with 4 Mythic Tiers; I figure that I'll let them face the end-game of WotR with level 20 and 7 Tiers (to try and lessen the power-creep), though if test-games show it's too tough (hah! riiiiight...) I might adjust that further. Part of me wants to put the group through the last three books of WotR, but I'm wondering if Book 5 might be a good place to have the Mythic NPCs lose (though this then would keep my group from getting the artifacts needed to help free the Herald).
So yeah. Which book of WotR should the Mythic NPCs fail?
My thought would be for this: what if Nocticula didn't (or wasn't able to) bail the Heroes out at the end of Midnight Isles. Then, instead of the corrupted Herald, your team is trying to rescue the heroes, only to find them already corrupted. You might be able to use some of the later part 4 (they'd investigate that area first), but it'd mostly be adventures 5 & 6
It would be doable - we could have the Mythic NPC Heroes capture instead of kill the demon trying to have them assassinated, learn of the mining facility, and go right there to attack rather than gain Nocticula's permission first. When Baphamet attacked, Nocturnal chose against confronting him because the heroes proved to be fools.
That way I could utilize elements of the 4th book as well; I have to admit I'm amused by the thought of the PCs meeting Nocticula seeing one of them is very much into brothels and booze (but has found himself (to his horror) slowly being redeemed and realizing there's more to life than just that.
I must admit some evil glee at the idea of siccing corrupted Mythic heroes on my group; they could even be recurring foes who don't stick around to die but use Contingencies and the like to escape death and capture.
Could always use the scene with Iomedae as well after the defeat of Karzoug, and have Iomedae tell them more about the grave threat that has been happening in another part of the world and the heroes that fell in the line of duty then go from there.
Here my suggestion.
Karzoug has a giga portal what wishes to use for open a rift in time. Now, let's say deskari decide to use that to open a new front of the war by gaining control through a powerful mythic nalfeshee of Xin shalash Resources. When the heroes defeat karzoug they get 1 month of freetime before hordes of demons swarm in varisia. They came from the portal of karzoug! Some one has activated it. Instead to pass to wotr, lets have them save Varisia from a new worldwound powered by greed magic, lamashtu demons and a mithic boss that actually can walk to them!
You know, considering how difficult it is to spell his name, I'm renaming that Demon Lord. His name will now be Bathmints.
I mean, it's easy to remember and nicely derogatory. ;)
Pnakotus, the benefit of having the post-Runelords game switch to WotR is that I can use those maps without any problem and just adjust those encounters upward (+5 levels for the initial part of Book 4). If I have a new Worldwound in Xin Shalast, then you have the dual problems of Mhar awakening and having to build all new maps.
I'm lazy. It's why I'm using the APs to begin with. So having Arueshalae beg the Heroes of Sandpoint to return with her to the Worldwound and try to save her companions works both to let my players continue to use characters they've grown attached to and hopefully will still be attached to, and also continue on to 20th level in time, without having me do a lot of work!
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You know, considering how difficult it is to spell his name, I'm renaming that Demon Lord. His name will now be Bathmints.
I mean, it's easy to remember and nicely derogatory. ;)
Pnakotus, the benefit of having the post-Runelords game switch to WotR is that I can use those maps without any problem and just adjust those encounters upward (+5 levels for the initial part of Book 4). If I have a new Worldwound in Xin Shalast, then you have the dual problems of Mhar awakening and having to build all new maps.
I'm lazy. It's why I'm using the APs to begin with. So having Arueshalae beg the Heroes of Sandpoint to return with her to the Worldwound and try to save her companions works both to let my players continue to use characters they've grown attached to and hopefully will still be attached to, and also continue on to 20th level in time, without having me do a lot of work!
Good choice, I blame google^^