What Grows Within (GM Reference)

[Ben Ehrets]

I've read the discussion here about why the map of the Parchlands was not included. Okay. I don't need a detailed maps *of* the Parchlands, but I'm struggling to understand how to get *to* the Parchlands. I greatly appreciate rhythmist's homebrew map. That helps me see how one could approach the Parchlands from Okeno.
But I'm thrown by discussions of going back to Katheer to start the journey because that seems to put a mountain range between journey start and our approximate Parchlands location. Or is the idea that one would go back to Katheer to go to the Mysterium to get teleport help?
What did Lowls do?

[Junker]

quibblemuch wrote:

The Husk of Xhamen-Dor's unspeakable presence worked awesomely at our table. The players nearly all failed the save. Having half their actions taken up by complying with a Great Old One's horrifying will (i.e., moving towards it) and the other half fighting against it made for a perfect lovecraftian horror RP experience.

"I must destroy this thing! I must move towards this thing!"

Fantastic!

I have a question I failed to get an answer to by googling on "Unspeakable Precence" do you get one save on this ability ? and If you failed are there any ways to get rid of the effect !! Also, If you succeed at the save is the effect ongoing and require a new save ?

[YogoZuno]

Junker wrote:

I have a question I failed to get an answer to by googling on "Unspeakable Precence" do you get one save on this ability ? and If you failed are there any ways to get rid of the effect !! Also, If you succeed at the save is the effect ongoing and require a new save ?

Generally, auras do exactly what they say. If an aura or ongoing ability allows immnunity on attempt or pass or fail of the save, it will say so. For example, the Piercing Chant feat says a target can't be affected more than once per 24 hours, regardless of save. Compare this to the Babble effect of the Allip, which will work constantly until a target successfully saves, and then won't work again for another 24 hours.

In the case of Unspeakable Presence, in the absence of either of these sorts of restrictions, it will work on every target every round.

[Paladrone]

As I'm getting close to this book in my campaign, a solution to prevent the party from just Windwalking or Teleporting straight to Neruzavin I might use is two fold:

1) Biting Lash's map only shows where Lowls disembarked, not his planned path. The party will need Kaklatath to find the city. Since the Yithian hasn't been to the city in a very long time, this will require a bit of wandering around.

2) If the party suggests a wind-walk, Kaklatath freaks out and refuses, warning the party that Flying Polyps are masters of the wind and if they've been freed as it fears will surely interfere. If they do it anyway, they get near the city only to suddenly run into unnaturally powerful winds that blow them away, dropping them in Ash Giant territory and forcing them to proceed on foot as intended. If they try to Scry and Teleport the cities alien geometries cause the spell to botch and also drop them in the desert.

[Anno Nymous]

My group just finished this chapter. I used Spastic Puma's version of the Xhamen-Dor fight, except with some adjusted odds to spawn more heads and Seeded, and without the holes that appeared in the arena. When brought to 0 HP, instead of being defeated, all nodes would spawn a head with 1 HP, this time not disappearing at the end of the turn, and each head able to take attacks of opportunity as normal. Each head that the players damaged would then be defeated permanently, until all heads would be gone.

Since I wanted my players to interact with the setting a bit more, I told them that the Xhamen-Dor infested part of their minds was now cleansed (I started the fight with the description of fungus being expelled from each characters head, clumping together to form the boss). This "cleansed" area would now be filled with residual knowledge that Count Lowls learned of the Necronomicon, that was trapped in the city much like the "flashbacks" the party got while traveling through Neruzavin; the party would now know the 10 chapters present in the Necronomicon, and would be allowed to learn one single chapter without making Linguistic checks or being at risk of Wis/Cha drain.
This finally made my party check out the Necronomicon as more than just a plot device. One player learned Greater Teleport from it, and one learned how to navigate to the Dreamlands. He is now planning on studying the rest of the Necronomicon in there.
One other player learned Telepathy and Psychic Asylum (instead of Mind Swap which I wasn't prepared to deal with).

I also changed the final ritual ("Path to the Black Stars") a fair bit. Since it's supposed to open a portal to Carcosa, I figured it would be much more thematic to have the players perform the an act out of "The King in Yellow". This would not only be a nice reference for players that know the original story, but it would also introduce players that don't know about it to the concept. In addition, it would serve as foreshadowing on the party meeting Cassilda and the Pallid Mask.

The skill checks were changed into Knowledge(nobility), Perform(any) and Disguise. These are unconventional skills, so make sure your players can actually make these checks!
Count Lowls left a crate of stage props, including costumes, curtains and lamps, which would designate what role each player would get (and serve as tools granting a +2 bonus on the ritual).

I had the players perform the parts of Camilla, Cassilda and the Pallid Mask in the last days of Itthyl, before being swallowed by Carcosa. The fourth player took on the role of narrator. With less players, the narrator can be omitted, and with more players, one could take on the role of special effects or communicating the lines. In this case, I would privately tell my players their lines and actions right before they were supposed to perform them, giving everyone the story and twists at the same pace.
As the chapter literally ended with curtains down, I think this was probably my favorite ending of a chapter yet.

The actual transcript of the play is not in English, so if people want me to post that, let me know, since I'd have to translate it first.

[Yonman]

I have a question for the Undercity sections D2 and D6.

D2. Defaced Gallery (CR 14)
The passage to the south leads to area D1, the north exit
leads to the south entrance of area D3, and the eastern
passage splits into two routes that lead to the west and
northwest portions of area D6.

D6. The Guardian Gat e (CR 14)
The west and northwest tunnels lead to the eastern
forked halls of area D2. The northeast tunnel leads to the
southern entrance in area D4. The southeast hall leads to
the west entrance of area D7.

I can't post a picture of a map here on the forums but I don't understand in area D2 what two passages they are referring to since the "split" references a "Y" intersection that trails off to the southwest.

[Purple Dragon Knight]

Tasfarel wrote:

Balthesar wrote:

I'm a bit confused about how the seedborne corruption should work on npcs. My group is travelling with a cohort and Kaklatath, and they are about to camp in the city. So if these two fail the will and fort save, are they waking up seeded and trying to attack the group? I dont see any rules about how quick the progression is.

Just take a look at the stat block seeded creatures on page 91. Seedborn consumption has a onset of one month.

But remember that the PC´s are carrier of this disease as well - they are just imune to it. So the cohort and kaklathat might be infectet the moment, they first get in contact with the pc`s

The stat block of Xamen dor states that there is a 1% chance per year to be targeted by his nightmare dream ability if you know the name of the god and are understanding his nature.

If you are affected by this ability you must do a safe or you are affected with seedborn consumption with no onset. This is stated on page 86/87

Does a paladins' immunity to disease work against the seedborne consumption? I don't see anything that says otherwise. And can a paladin's 'remove disease' mercy work against it? (or the 'remove disease' spell cast by other characters?)

I'm especially worried for Kaklathat's frail elderly body. Does the adventure assumes she is somewhat immune to this for the same reasons the PCs are? (i.e. 'due to exposure to XD's influence during previous ordeals and dreams')

[Purple Dragon Knight]

Anyone?

[Adam Daigle]

Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

Tasfarel wrote:

Balthesar wrote:

I'm a bit confused about how the seedborne corruption should work on npcs. My group is travelling with a cohort and Kaklatath, and they are about to camp in the city. So if these two fail the will and fort save, are they waking up seeded and trying to attack the group? I dont see any rules about how quick the progression is.

Just take a look at the stat block seeded creatures on page 91. Seedborn consumption has a onset of one month.

But remember that the PC´s are carrier of this disease as well - they are just imune to it. So the cohort and kaklathat might be infectet the moment, they first get in contact with the pc`s

The stat block of Xamen dor states that there is a 1% chance per year to be targeted by his nightmare dream ability if you know the name of the god and are understanding his nature.

If you are affected by this ability you must do a safe or you are affected with seedborn consumption with no onset. This is stated on page 86/87

Does a paladins' immunity to disease work against the seedborne consumption? I don't see anything that says otherwise. And can a paladin's 'remove disease' mercy work against it? (or the 'remove disease' spell cast by other characters?)

I'm especially worried for Kaklathat's frail elderly body. Does the adventure assumes she is somewhat immune to this for the same reasons the PCs are? (i.e. 'due to exposure to XD's influence during previous ordeals and dreams')

It's been years since my head was in this space (the AP and 1st ed), but seedborne consumption is referred to as a disease, but it's supernatural. Good thing divine health works on supernatural diseases. As for how mercy would affect things, mercy only removes a condition, and since seedborne consumption doesn't impart any conditions (just damage) mercy wouldn't be much help.

As for Kaklatath (and I'm assuming you're talking about the hijacked human body and not the messed up yithian one), I don't think it specifically says one way or the other, but my assumption is that she would be in the same somewhat immune camp as the PCs.

The best way to make things okay for her would be, primarily, destroying the husk.

[Purple Dragon Knight]

Thank you Adam! Happy holidays and thank you again for such a great AP!

[Adam Daigle]

Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

Thank you Adam! Happy holidays and thank you again for such a great AP!

You're welcome! Happy holidays to you as well and thank you!