I originally posted this on the RotRL AP thread, but I'm curious about this one as well.
I am curious: for all those who have played this adventure path, at a table or on a pbp, as a player or as a DM, WHAT WERE THE BEST CHANGES FROM THE ADVENTURE AS WRITTEN?
(Please spoiler anything beyond the first adventure, in case anyone is currently playing.)
I have a couple of types of improvements, and an example for each.
- What were the best new encounters? (The Sandpoint Devil in the field of scarecrows in 2.)
- What were the best new plot twists? (Justice Ironbriar bailing the players out of jail during the Swallowtail Festival, before you "meet" him in 2.)
- What were the best plot changes? (Making Nualia continue after the first adventure, and how was it done.)
- What were the best improvements on a scene as written? (The death of the ghoul/lich house in 2 going up in flames seen for miles.)
- What were the best changes to maps? (Making Thistletops lower levels bigger, so you could actually fight.)
- Best unique, properly balanced, weapon or magic item or spell. (Horsechopper of bane vs. animals. Called NeighNeigh in the goblin tongue.)
- Best bit of dialogue that just felt so right. (Yeah, I don't have a simple example, lol.)
- What were the best moments with NPC's, that made them even better than written? (Tying the Black arrows into Shalelu.)
- What was the best meaningful death? (The barbarian tackling a giant, and they both fall off a cliff in 6, to save a character at deaths door, about to be smashed to jam by the giant.)
- The single npc group switch that was awesome? (Switching out all half-ogres for half-Giants, and all goblins for feral halflings.)
- What were the best tie-ins to other AP's? (Seeing the comet fall over Riddleport during the siege of Sandpoint by the Giants.)
- What were the best guest appearances by iconics? (Meeting Merisiel in the jail cell next to you in Magnimar.)
- What were the best battles made more...cinematic? (The goblin invasion in Burnt Offernings ending in a runaway burning cart chase that lights a building by the docks on fire, before ending in the bay.)
- What were the best times you were forced to separate your party? (We have to stop the giant invasion! Well, if we don't get this magic wand to Magnimar, 10,000 undead Giants will roll over Varisia. Crap. We have to separate to do both.)
- What was the best stat change? (Making Nualia a magus.)
- What was the crazy thing the players forced a DM into, that she rolled with, and it ended up being awesome? (Making the thing at the bottom of Thistletop your pet, and feeding it refularly. And naming it. I'm looking at you, Nobody'sHome.)
- The single House Rule you felt improved the adventure? (Hero points, etc.)
- The best setting adaptation? (Takhisis coming back, and you're from Abanasia; a dead hero of Rhajaat, an undead Sorcerer-King, is leading the Giants out of the obsidian dessert south of Raam; growing up human in Darguun was hard. Leaving it to travel to Argonessen to fight a greedy Rhakshasa? That was harder.)
- Best class combinations that just felt unique and cool? (Not half-vampire kobold 3pp classes crap.) (Tian orphan raised by the Shoanti who became a Barbarian ninja. The invisible rage.)
- Any hero moments created by the DM? (Tends to focus on one character.) (The Dragonborn escaping Helgen, Nathan Drake getting off the sinking ship, the building collapsing in Battlefield 4, Cloud and Sephiroth.)
- Greatest escapes? (Leaping from the top floor of the lich house to the ocean, as the house explodes with necromantic energy.)
- Anything else not from the adventures, but CHANGED from them that stood out to you.
A number of GMs have described changing Zaiobe (the mute harpy oracle in Brinewall Castle) so that she doesn’t turn on the PCs after the battle with Kikonu and is a potentially redeemable character. This has led to some interesting consequences. For example…
Bringing PCs and NPCs together
I’d definitely recommend that GMs consider this approach if they or their players are interested in redemption themes!
For my campaign, I decided that Zaiobe’s abilities as an oracle with the wind mystery give her an alternative possible destiny - she can choose to oppose people who are exploiting the power of wind and storms for evil purposes. (For example, there’s the being controlling the morozkos over the Crown of the World. And then there’s a certain wind yai oni…) Inspired by the PCs, Zaiobe joined the caravan and has played a significant role in the campaign (including by helping to redeem others).
These are great examples of changes in the plot that worked, and best moments with NPC's, completely coincidental. Thank you!
I like a lot of changes that I made, but I am biased in judging them. However, two changes I love came from other sources.
This forum recommended the Ruby Phoenix Tournament module as an alternative to the House of Withered Blossoms dungeon crawl in Forest of Spirits. The tournament was a lot of fun, letting the PCs show off to an audience.
And the PCs in Tide of Honor were supposed lead a rebellion against the corrupt oni-controlled government of Minkai. The PCs in my party vetoed that idea. They did not want to to start a brutal war. The oni were secretly running the government behind a puppet regent ruling on a false pretext. Kill the leaders of the oni conspiracy, reveal that the emperor was dead so that the heir should rule, point out that the true heir was with the party, and restore Minkai to normal without killing any innocents.
Therefore, the party--the famous winners of the Ruby Phoenix Tournament--toured the country defeating oni raiders (not all oni were willing to stay secret) and rescuing peasants to become trusted folk heroes. Meanwhile, they made alliances with the local leaders and even with some of their enemies. Once they had enough proof that Ameiko was the true heir, they struck quickly and deadly at the oni leaders.
They won without a war.
I like that. Having options for how to take down the regent. You let the players decide what kind of campaign they want to play.