Hey,
I'm a new-ish GM running a group of new players through a Falcon's Hollow campaign. I'm prepping to run Carnival of Tears in a few weeks, and wondered if anyone had any advice?
I'm planning to run the whole thing in one all-day session, to keep up the tension and momentum. It's the centrepiece of my Falcon's Hollow campaign, so I want it to be epic and memorable. I've not run a full-on horror adventure before, so tips on creating the right atmosphere would also be appreciated.
Any tips on converting from 3.5? Particularly for the NPCs Kabran Bloodeye and Namdrin Quinn.
General tips for running this module? Suggestions for changes or improvements?
I also think it's a bit odd that the Menagerie of Freaks is not addressed in the post-fey invasion section. Anyone got ideas for what can be done with this to make it part of the event?
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll probably just plug the NPC details into Hero Lab to update the stats to the Pathfinder level, and will definitely be maxing the hit points (I've a party of 6 players, so tend to do that anyway).
I'm also looking to diversify the types of fey involved. The Dark Ice template is in the module, so I can just apply it to other fey creatures like satyrs and nymphs. It fits more thematically with the corruption of the fey story that I'm telling.
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I reworked some of the NPCs in this module for my group using Herolab:
Kabran; Ftr (dirty fighter)2 / Rog (thug)5
Swinomancer; half-orc afflicted wereboar; Sor5
Namdrin; Brd (dervish dancer)7 / Shadowdancer2
Tessa; Rgr (warden)3 / Rog (investigator)6
This might help as well....
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/fey/grig/grig-dark-ice
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CoT is a horror adventure, but specifically, one about body horror and mass slaughter. For this to really have an impact, you need to work on your descriptions. Lower the lights, and music can be very effective, from the ethereal wonder of the carnival, to the stark rage of what is really happening. Also, be certain to describe a few NPCs and let the heroes connect with them, so their awful deaths will mean something. Also, be sure to serve a pork pie before the game.
Thanks for the continued advice. :)
My prep is going well so far. I've started plugging some of the NPCs into HeroLab, and trying to think about their tactics.
I've found a soundtrack that I'll be using: Carnival Arcane by Midnight Syndicate. It's almost like it was written specifically for this module, and it's on Spotify, so I can just cue it up from my phone to play through my sound system.
And my PCs already have some good relationships with the some of the townsfolk. It's unlikely all of them will survive, although I'll give the PCs a chance at saving some. For instance, they'll know where some characters are heading at around the time that Syntira contacts them, so can choose to head to one or more of those locations ASAP.
My players thought that the hall of inventions (forget the proper name of it, but the one with all the lumber yard equipment) was really horrific. So much that they burnt it to the ground even after the fey inside it were dispatched. So you may want to have a reaction ready from Thuldrin Kreed. I think that was how I roped them into doing Revenge of the Kobold King.
Also, the scenario is really helped if you've established or will establish the hostile politics between the fey and the lumber company. A Guide to Darkmoon Vale can be helpful with this. Other adventures that might serve as good sequels include the Dungeon module Wingclipper's Revenge (Issue 132) and Pathfinder Society Scenario #43 (the Pallid Plague).
The kick-off for my campaign was a mashup of The Pallid Plague and Hollow's Last Hope, so the PCs have already met Syntira (and pledged to help her if she calls for aid again) and are aware of the fey/lumber jack animosity.
Good idea about Kreed. My party already hate him, so I've been trying to figure out how to get them working for him for Revenge. Owing him a debt is a good idea.
Anyone got any ideas for what to do with the Menagerie of Freaks after the Fey invasion? It's given 2 pages in part 1, but isn't even mentioned in part 3. The opening blurb for that chapter is to assume that those attractions have been abandoned, but it seems like a shame to not make use of it...
I ran this for the "B-Team" in my home game, and they simply walked away and let the whole town be destroyed. If that's not the outcome you're looking for, some railroading might be in order -- but not too much, because nobody likes that, either. In short, the "hook" is sort of the hardest part, unless you've got a paladin in the party who makes them stay.
On the contrary, I loved it! I made that town be known to be "cursed" thereafter, overrun with the evil fey, which blocked a major roadway and spurred a bunch of future campaign events. It was the best outcome I could have hoped for -- way better than preserving the status quo.
I posted what I did knowing that most people wouldn't necessarily have thought things through.
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My PCs are, of course, able to decide to walk away. But I can't imagine that will happen because 1) they've been living in Falcon's Hollow for a few months now, and even like some of the people that live there, and 2) they do, indeed, have a paladin. :P The CNs amongst them tend to roll their eyes at his goody-two-shoes ways, but usually stick around to see what's in it for them. Of course, in this module, that may only be a ride on the Wood Chipper Express or lunch at the Swinomancer's Unidentified Meat Pie Palace, but it should be good for a laugh either way.
I think my plan for the Freaks will be to print out the stats for all of them, and then see how my players react to them. If the latch on to any particular freak, I'll add them to the list of rescue-able victims once the fey take over, so that they can become an ally if rescued (aka, cannon fodder in a future encounter).
Again, I hugely appreciate the input I'm getting in this thread. The closer I get to the day of the carnival/tears (10th October) the more I'm looking forward to it...
Dry ice in the players' drinks (and yours) is always a nice touch when working a spooky or mystic atmosphere.
As for players walking away from something, I've heard several references, where a GM described how they had spent a lot of time preparing a whole big story arc for their campaign based on things the players asked for... and then when he was ready to start it they all suddenly decided to go for something different. If it were me, I'd just work the new idea they wanted into the rest of the plans, let them start with the new thing and have it feed into the planned events.
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As for players walking away from something, I've heard several references, where a GM described how they had spent a lot of time preparing a whole big story arc for their campaign based on things the players asked for... and then when he was ready to start it they all suddenly decided to go for something different. If it were me, I'd just work the new idea they wanted into the rest of the plans, let them start with the new thing and have it feed into the planned events.
This is exactly how I created an entire campaign in my last real campaign in the Realms. I built the story, but let the players go and do whatever they would, installing story elements wherever they went. Eventually, they got hooked into the story and decided to follow where it led. Worked incredibly well, and all of them felt very much as though they drove the story forward, not me.
As for players walking away from something, I've heard several references, where a GM described how they had spent a lot of time preparing a whole big story arc for their campaign based on things the players asked for... and then when he was ready to start it they all suddenly decided to go for something different. If it were me, I'd just work the new idea they wanted into the rest of the plans, let them start with the new thing and have it feed into the planned events.This is exactly how I created an entire campaign in my last real campaign in the Realms. I built the story, but let the players go and do whatever they would, installing story elements wherever they went. Eventually, they got hooked into the story and decided to follow where it led. Worked incredibly well, and all of them felt very much as though they drove the story forward, not me.
I've seen this work really well, and also very poorly, in the past. It takes some degree patience and finesse to work the stuff you wrote in seamlessly, without it seeming tacked-on or railroad-y.
I ran this module as a break between the kobold king adventures as is, no conversions, just recalculation for cmd and pathfinder spells and the 5 person party had am amazing time with it and got a perfect score with syntira.
The best thing i can think of is to have the etten possessed, murdering and cracking jokes at all the carnies with a cadre of dark ice fairies as stage hands.
Overal, just know how each event works and don't try to run more than one at once.