I have a few questions on the Sihedron Rings.
What the party will find out when identifying the Sihedron Rings?
I realize they will get all the abilities listed in the description, but what I'm not sure about is if it will allow them to know it will protect them from the Occluding Field?
They teleported to the Ice Fens and were not there long enough to encounter Svevenka, so do not have the information from her.
The just defeated the Hidden Beast and have acquired the first ring and identified it. I gave them the basics but told them I may have more next session.
They will be talking to Morgriv in more detail next session looking for information. Do the Skulks know about the field and the rings?
Thanks
This comes up a lot here - the occluding field is a bit of a weird mechanic and I get the impression most GMs tweak it a bit to how they want it.
I had my PCs understand that the Sihedron Ring would help them with the Occlusion field (after a successful Identify check). But so can the Sihedron Medallions, so it wasn't terribly surprising to them.
The altitude is a bigger issue - once PCs get into the death zone (above Xin Shalast) things get really nasty. I have my Sihedron Rings help with that, but not the medallions. And an endure elements spell isn't enough easier. So there's a period where some of the PCs are going to be suffering from altitude sickness before they make it to the Pinnacle of Avarice, where rings are plentiful.
I detailed out the effect of the field on teleportation a bit more than is written, but that's really up to the GM.
As for the Skulks - I had them know about the field and the rings, but not the connection between them. If that makes sense? But I had them pretty much avoid the upper reaches of the city.
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I believe I had Gulkak, the "stone giant" tell them that the Sihedron rings were useful to anyone going up to the Pinnacle of Avarice. I probably came right out and said "it protects you from the field," but if I had a do-over, I'd probably say "The Claimer's honored lieutenants all wear one, and all were given one before they made the climb. Anyone who scales the peak of Mhar Massif without one does not return." Or something.
Here's how I handled it - which may or may not be as-written or as-intended.
I did not let the pc's identify any benefit vis-a-vis the Occluding Field with the sihedron items. I did let the party wizard eventually figure out the Karzoug scrying feature - in part because the hero lab write up includes that detail (bad form, Hero Lab, bad form.)
I decided the sihedron items did NOT permit the wearer to bypass the block on teleport from the Occluding Field.
My group spoke with both Gyukak and Morgiv, the latter quite extensively. Neither discussed nor knew about the Occluding Field though both suspected there was some kind of barrier or restriction for those not authorized. Both, in their own way, made clear they had no interest in the Upper City given the nature/danger of its residents.
My group pretty readily inferred based on that info, some of their own failed scrying attempts and the 1/week contact other plane feature of the Revelation Quill that they would likely need some kind of key to get to the Pinnacle. When they arrived at the outer edge of the Field it was simple for them to test/discover the items' protection feature. The fact that everyone important they run into has one, is a clue.
Lastly, I provided opportunities for them to get enough rings for all pc's, since I thought my players would assume there "should" be four and would look for them. I added Rune Giant, Viorian (she has boots of teleport!!!) and Khalib encounters to the lower city (including one with Khalib in yeti form as implied in area H write-up). This let me foreshadow their presence in the Pinnacle. Viorian and Khalib survived, but the Rune Giant did not. When the group cast Planar Ally, Greater however I drew the line and Sarenrae's Herald (the Sunlord Thalachos) is wearing a medallion.
Thanks for the feedback all, that is exactly what I was looking for.
Now I have some ideas to play with and determine exactly how I'm going to swing it.
I'm still peeved at Hero Lab for including the "Runelords can scry on you" effect in the item write-ups.
Here's how I rule this at my table...
The "runelords can scry on you" is more a feature than an item enhancement, and did not generate a detectable magical aura in and of itself. Unless a Runelord is actively scrying on the item at the time the spell is cast, you're not going to detect that aspect with a detect magic or identify spell.
I would allow a DC 40 Knowledge (arcana) check to reveal it (indicating that the PC read about that aspect somewhere). Analyze dweomer and higher-level divination spells would reveal that aspect.
As for the occluding field... I haven't had a party that made it all the way to Book 6 yet, so it's been a moot point so far.
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I'm still peeved at Hero Lab for including the "Runelords can scry on you" effect in the item write-ups.Yes, I learned my lesson there.
-Skeld
In the second time I ran Runelords, I had prepared a custom Hero Lab package that included some of my houserules (e.g. some 3.5 feats and custom spells that I allow at my table), and I also took that opportunity to replace the Sihedron Medallion and Sihedron Ring item descriptions with ones that did not include the GM secrets. I helpfully handed that package out to all of my Hero Lab-using players.
Yeah I have already been burned by HL on this stuff as well.
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In the second time I ran Runelords, I had prepared a custom Hero Lab package that included some of my houserules (e.g. some 3.5 feats and custom spells that I allow at my table), and I also took that opportunity to replace the Sihedron Medallion and Sihedron Ring item descriptions with ones that did not include the GM secrets. I helpfully handed that package out to all of my Hero Lab-using players.I'm still peeved at Hero Lab for including the "Runelords can scry on you" effect in the item write-ups.Yes, I learned my lesson there.
-Skeld
I have plans to do something similar if it pops up in CotCT.
-Skeld
My PCs figured out pretty quickly that Karoug was scrying on them via the Sihedron Medallions - he started messing frequently with them once they got close to Xin Shalast, including participating in an attempted ambush of them just prior to reaching the city (which I added to the story for prefiguring / flavour). So my PCs were already busy using Detect Scrying, Mages Private Sanctum and Mind Blank before they found their first Sihedron ring, meaning they instantly realised the rings scrying focus role the first time Karoug leveraged that feature.
Detect Scrying was useful for prefiguring Karzoug in some colourful ways, since this happens when Karzoug tries to scry on the party... (from the Detect Scrying spell description).
If the scrying attempt originates within the area, you also know its location; otherwise, you and the scrier immediately make opposed caster level checks (1d20 + caster level). If you at least match the scrier's result, you get a visual image of the scrier and an accurate sense of his direction and distance from you.
Meaning my Sorcerer, who made a great roll and beat Karzoug's CL check, ended up staring face to face with Karzoug (in her minds eye).
I did the same as Latrecis when it comes to teleport. Basically there's no way to teleport into Xin Shalast for the PCs, and if they try to teleport out they end up pretty much somewhere random on the Storval Plateau (if they're lucky).