I'm running RotRl, my 6 player party assaulted thistletop, got split, and were nearly tpk. They have effectively cleared the thistle section but headed back to town due to a dead party member. On their way out they spread oil amongst the thistle and set them ablaze.
Ripnugget is unhappy and has decided rather than cower he is going to take his remaining goblins and raid Sandpoint. Nualia has decided the Father Zantus needs to sacrificed to Lamashtu in the circle of stones at the center of the cathedral so is going along and is going to use Rippnugget's raid as cover to get into the church and slay the good father.
What I'm planning on running is sort of a staged running battle int he streets of Sandpoint. The players will be awakened by the tolling of the church bells and the smell of smoke on the breeze. The bells will suddenly stop ringing and things will begin from there.
I'm planning a bried skirmish with Ripnugget as he heads towards to the Cathedral then he slips by the party as they are ambushed by some goblin trash mobs.
In the Cathedral square the party will encounter ripnugget and entourage (basically the throne room mobs). Inside they will encounter Ore and Lyre and then Nualia and Brathazmus amongst the stones. Brath will try to keep the party off Nualia while she finishes her business. If she manages to kill Zantus we'll have some kind of apotheosis for her.
Thoughts?
TomParker has a couple good points. Why do you want to take the adventure in this direction?
Though I would also point out Nualia makes strange decisions. She doesn't need M to raze Sandpoint to the ground. She has more than enough capability when the adventure starts. If she, her mercenaries and the goblins (Thistletop and Birdcruncher tribes) were to attack the town at night with the yeth hounds, Sandpoint would be toast. Literally. Have you seen the spread on the yeth hound howl? And they can fly? And they have damage reduction?
And since Tsuto clearly has access to the Glassworks via the tunnel, she can drop forces inside the town with ease. It would be a slaughter.
But the underlying assumption in the AP is that she is obsessed with releasing M as part of her transformation goal. And from a meta-gaming perspective, if she were to attack the town with such force the pc's would be taken out before the campaign started.
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TomParker has a couple good points. Why do you want to take the adventure in this direction?
** spoiler omitted **
Just to note, lot of important sandpoint npc ARE on level 4, so I don't think 3 yeth hounds can destroy small town with over 1000 citizens that easily. Besides, Sherif Hemlock and Father Zantus are rather badasses(btw, yes father Zantus uses star knife. Its not like he is helpless priest just because he is nice) if you check their stat blocks from pathfinder comic 1 : D
Anyway, yeah wouldn't make sense for Nualia to come in to sacrifice random priest of Desna when she is obsessed with becoming half fiend and releasing Malfeshnekor. Which would unite all five goblins tribes in attack to Sandpoint which would be far more difficult for town to repel : D
(just to note, Moswood goblins, besides being biggest tribe, are badasses. Big Gugmut's stat block is unknown, but since he is strongest goblin there is, judging from comic book stat blocks(there is level 6 cleric among tribe's 34 families) he is at least level 7 medium sized goblin at minimum.)
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I'll check when I get home, but IIRC, Dark Water Rising part 1 has Hemlocks & Zantus' stat blocks if thats what you are asking.
There are quite lot of neat info in bonus sections of different comics, one of them even details Rusty Dragon Inn : D Like apparently there are rooms named after dragon colors/types, but bronze room is kept locked up for some reason.
Huh, I should check out at home that my horrible memory isn't playing tricks on me xD But yeah, cool info in them.
Odd, considering the Rusty Dragon had existed for a while and Ameiko had bought it when she returned from being an Adventurer after getting an metaphorical arrow in her knee...
Odd, considering the Rusty Dragon had existed for a while and Ameiko had bought it when she returned from being an Adventurer after getting an metaphorical arrow in her knee...
Yep. It existed as The Iron Dragon before Ameiko left for adventuring.
If I remember correctly, the owners were killed by Chopper while she was away, and then she bought it and renamed it when she returned. Chopper killing the owners may only be what I did in my campaign, not sure.
Ah, I wasn't familiar with the name change. I don't recall the previous name in the Anniversary Edition of RotRL, but I don't collect or read the comics so...
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Well, in comic bonus info, only thing said about previous owners is that they sold Ameiko the inn and probably would regret it since Ameiko turned enterprise into most profitable one in town. She renamed the inn to Rusty Dragon(its old name is never told in comic bonus info, if that is indeed the old name then its probably from source I haven't read :'D) and renovated the place to its new dragon theme. People assume name is because of Rusty Dragon's iron dragon lightning rod on roof, but Ameiko hasn't told anyone the actual reason(nor why she keeps Bronze room empty :D There are rumors ranging from room being haunted to it being kept reserved for paramour)
I'm not even sure if Iron Dragon lightning rod existed before Ameiko took over the place because its noted its original inspiration was the Tiruvinn(aka the adult bronze dragon I mentioned) .-. Who knows, maybe its complete coincidence that she doesn't rent the Bronze Room out xD It doesn't directly say it out, it just mentions that Ameiko is hasn't told story about both name of the inn and why she keeps room empty, so I assumed they are connected.(seemed bit too many coincidences, especially since its mentioned that Tiruvinn is reclusive and nowadays appears in human form when not hunting)
Soo yeah, I'm pretty sure Basilicum is confusing his own campaign info for book info, at least regarding the old owners <_<
Anyway, yeah, thanks for reminding me to check info. Zantus and Hemlock are indeed in Dark Waters Rising issue 1. Both have +1 armor(leather armor and chain shirt respectively) and don't seem to have standard npc stat array. Zantus is definitely more healer than combat person though(strength 8, wisdom is 18 : D), but Hemlock has apparently composite longbow focused build since he has quite many archer feats and weapon specilization & focus for it.
I've tried to track down where I got the information about the renaming from, without any luck. Nothing about it in the RotR Anniversary Edition, the original edition, Jade Regent, or any wiki that I could find.
Soo yeah, I'm pretty sure CorvusMask is correct when he says that I've managed to confuse my own campaign with book info, not just regarding the old owners. It happens.
TomParker has a couple good points. Why do you want to take the adventure in this direction?
** spoiler omitted **
Just to note, lot of important sandpoint npc ARE on level 4, so I don't think 3 yeth hounds can destroy small town with over 1000 citizens that easily. Besides, Sherif Hemlock and Father Zantus are rather badasses(btw, yes father Zantus uses star knife. Its not like he is helpless priest just because he is nice) if you check their stat blocks from pathfinder comic 1 : D
Anyway, yeah wouldn't make sense for Nualia to come in to sacrifice random priest of Desna when she is obsessed with becoming half fiend and releasing Malfeshnekor. Which would unite all five goblins tribes in attack to Sandpoint which would be far more difficult for town to repel : D
(just to note, Moswood goblins, besides being biggest tribe, are badasses. Big Gugmut's stat block is unknown, but since he is strongest goblin there is, judging from comic book stat blocks(there is level 6 cleric among tribe's 34 families) he is at least level 7 medium sized goblin at minimum.)
It's off topic but...
The three yeth hounds should devastate a town of 1000 citizens when 50% of them are fleeing in a panic. Because the hounds are taking turns flying over the town in waves forcing everyone to make 3 saves. And the goblins set the town on fire in the resulting confusion. And her mercenaries start taking out guards. Retreat if resistance forms. Lather rinse repeat over a couple nights. Then when some residents flee perhaps to Magnimar, ambush the refugees, get the town paralyzed with fear, encourage some wrath, feeding the runewell. Supplement forces with sinspawn. Remember some of the attackers should start in the Glassworks (as demonstrated by Tsuto in AP.) The key is the focus isn't conflict with any leveled characters in town, it's to create burning horror with high casualties. At least that's how I interpret what Nualia would do if she had Malfeshnekor and she could probably accomplish it without him.
Also, if you burn the bridges first, people can't escape.
That said, wrathful deaths fuel the Runewell, not fearful ones.
Also, if you burn the bridges first, people can't escape.
That said, wrathful deaths fuel the Runewell, not fearful ones.
I'm assuming, perhaps recklessly, that some of the dead will be angry as much as fearful. Not all but some.
I was thinking the Panic effect from the Hounds howling. Probably driving many townsfolk into a waiting massacre by the goblins.
Really, Nualia's thoughts of using M was far better, seeing few could stand up to it, and rather than panicking everyone, she could kill women and children, drive the men into a rage, and then kill them and power the Runewell that way.