This is a spoiler-filled resource thread for GMs running the Return of the Runelords Adventure Path, specifically for the third adventure, "Runeplague."
Creative Director
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** spoiler omitted **
James, thanks for the bit of lore! No need to worry about it, I'm sure you'll put it in the next AP. I'm just excited about it!
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Yea, what an awesome idea! Of course my players know the death machine that was the original Xanesha… can't wait to put the ghost template on her!
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Creative Director
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It seems like Erigantus doesn't have the permanent bonus from reading through the Bone Grimoire. Is this because he was studying for destruction of the seal rather than reading the entire book, a mechanism to make the encounter(s) slightly easier, or possibly an oversight?
It's because he was studying for the seal destruction, but feel free to adjust that in your game if you wish.
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In an ask James thread, it was stated that Sorshen is generally amused by a PC in a clone body(either from that trap, or the campaign trait). In this book, during part 3,
I picture Sorshen being quite content letting the PC-clone be the fall-girl body-double. I also get the feeling she'd not be above playing 'twin shenanigans' with the other party goers(think "Freaky Friday" type pranks).
In an ask James thread, it was stated that Sorshen is generally amused by a PC in a clone body(either from that trap, or the campaign trait). In this book, during part 3,
Spoiler:I picture Sorshen being quite content letting the PC-clone be the fall-girl body-double.Sorshen seems quite the extroverted playful social creature, however she is not looking like herself due to the agents against her. Would she want the PC-clone to disguise herself as well? Would the Peacock cultists still wait until Midnight to attack with a PC-clone running around all evening?
Came here wondering the same thing.
side question would be: how would Sorchen react to someone born from such a clone?
and considering how that one worked made me wonder what the stats of an half-azlanti would be?
So the Brothers of the Seal's namesake is (was) one of the lesser seals to Gallowspire? Interesting.
Also, from looking at the adventure's leveling track, it looks like the PCs are supposed to hit level 11 after the fourth part (dealing with Erigantus and the Whispering Way beneath Kaer Maga), and then hit level 12 after the fifth part. However, the fifth part is literally only the fight with Zutha's fragment. Do they really gain an entire level after one fight?
So the Brothers of the Seal's namesake is (was) one of the lesser seals to Gallowspire? Interesting.
Also, from looking at the adventure's leveling track, it looks like the PCs are supposed to hit level 11 after the fourth part (dealing with Erigantus and the Whispering Way beneath Kaer Maga), and then hit level 12 after the fifth part. However, the fifth part is literally only the fight with Zutha's fragment. Do they really gain an entire level after one fight?
They have to go from Kaer Maga to the island, so probably encounters along the way.
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Creative Director
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So the Brothers of the Seal's namesake is (was) one of the lesser seals to Gallowspire? Interesting.
Also, from looking at the adventure's leveling track, it looks like the PCs are supposed to hit level 11 after the fourth part (dealing with Erigantus and the Whispering Way beneath Kaer Maga), and then hit level 12 after the fifth part. However, the fifth part is literally only the fight with Zutha's fragment. Do they really gain an entire level after one fight?
If the PCs play through this adventure in a linear manner...
The adventure in Magnimar should kick them into 9th level.
Riddleport and Korvosa, taken together, should result in them being quite a bit into 10th level—one of the two won't be enough to level them up but should get them close, and then the other should send them DEEP into 10th level's progress.
So, coming out of Magnimar, Riddleport, and Korvosa, they should be well into 10th level. They then do the Kaer Maga section. Once that dungeon is done, they should emerge at 11th level.
So, no, they don't gain an entire level after one fight. They gain a chunk of that level doing either chapter 2 or chapter 3, and then gain the rest of that level during chapter 4. Chapter 4, remember, is not an insignificant number of encounters.
Part 2: The Zincher Siege. Having the players defend against npc's trying to break into the "dungeon" is a really refreshing role reversal. I already know my players are going to love it.
Hey James, Ive got a question :) My group now have scroll of True Ressurection and want to try ressurect Thybidos (because they liked him,lol) is this possible?:)
If they redeemed him by the method as presented, he went on to judgement by Pharasma. So I'd say no.
Same thing happened in Wrath of the Righteous, only there you had the added mythic tiers to that as well. ^^
For people that ran though the festival with Sorshen, how did it go? It seems like the players are expected to have quite a bit of cash on hand to purchase the perfume ingredients, and that may not go over well. Should I just warn them not to spend everything before travelling to Korvosa?
Ah, I hadn't considered that they might just try and steal... I don't see many of them as stealy-types but it would probably be pretty easy to pull off.
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Creative Director
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** spoiler omitted **
Because Zutha is supposed to be less strong than Xanderghul and Sorshen.If James Jacobs can answer me, that would be great :)
Don't have my books handy at the moment to directly reference exactly what I said to see if I could have been more clear, made a mistake, or you mis-read, but...
It means that the fully powered Zutha was ABOUT a CR 20 level lich, and reducing that power by about a third makes him a third less powerful reduces him to about where he ended up in Runeplague.
** spoiler omitted **
Because Zutha is supposed to be less strong than Xanderghul and Sorshen.If James Jacobs can answer me, that would be great :)
Don't have my books handy at the moment to directly reference exactly what I said to see if I could have been more clear, made a mistake, or you mis-read, but...
It means that the fully powered Zutha was ABOUT a CR 20 level lich, and reducing that power by about a third makes him a third less powerful reduces him to about where he ended up in Runeplague.
So he would be at 2/3 of his former power (lost 1/3)?
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Are the stats for XANESHA right? I mean, multiple DC 25 will saves PER ROUND or the GM just turns off your character? Sounds . . . stupid. I mean, I know my job as the GM is the challenge the players, but there's challenge, and then just kill outright.
I mean, even the high-wisdom Shaman WITH the campaign trait that give him bonuses vs. undead is going to fail that save sometimes.
One save is only for staggered. The other one isn't every round, and wouldn't shut down the most likely to fail it.
I don't know if I'm too late on this one, but I am currently in the middle of the Crimson Festival, and so far it has been a ton of fun! I would say it really tested my improv skills, as I was familiar with the mechanical things that could happen, but I had no idea in which order everything would happen or how my players would react to it. Basically I familiarized myself with the mechanics, and then really just thought about the atmosphere and what I wanted the general feeling to be like.
This part may be up to interpretation: Sorshen for me presented herself as a little spacey and bubbly, and everything was kind of a game to her. She presented herself as someone who loves to have fun, is a little flirty, and when she talks it's all about getting the PCs to talk about themselves without giving out too much of her own personal information (she's a simulacrum so she doesn't really even have Sorshen's complete knowledge). Behind that she's of course highly intelligent and I was trying to give the PCs the impression that they are merely pawns in her game. Whether they like it or not they have to play along because of how powerful she is and how critical she will be to preventing the other Runelords from causing great destruction.
For the festival itself I prepared a few different ideas of NPCs that would be at the stands and basically just winged it for the rest of the events. Besides those scripted Sorshen moments, I just wanted the players to have fun playing games, shopping, interacting with each other and doing some silly performances. Importantly I tried to keep the mechanical things from bogging down the fun too much and I think it worked pretty well.
One of my PCs has a close bond with Sorshen because she's a clone and I made Sorshen her witch patron, but the others have been hesitantly playing along, knowing that they have been trying to prevent runelords from returning, yet allowing this one to do as she pleases. It's been a good atmosphere I think with a lot of fun, but also some hidden tension. My players had a great time interacting with goofy NPCs, reminiscing about their Curse of the Crimson clone characters through some silly propaganda posters, and of course doing the various activities. At least I think they did. I had fun haha.
Also they were pretty grumpy about having to pay so much for the whale vomit in the perfume.
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Invading the Gecko, we coined a new phrase: "Derroculas"
I made Xanesha even more brutal because my PCs have a Mythic Tier. Don't know how they'll escape the Gecko alive, they got away from her by entering but all have some pretty severe conditions after fighting her, each other, and the Derroculas.
That sounds awesome! I like the changes you have. One of my party just absolutely CRUSHED the poor little greased pig in like 2 rounds haha.
I just ran the Lying Cup and I had the same interpretation as you. Mechanically it doesn't make sense to me really, but I ran it that way because then the players out of character could try to guess if the other players/Sorshen were lying. Then the dice rolling came in after the judge player called a bluff and we used opposed secret bluff/diplomacy against sense motive checks to see if the character was believable. Maybe that was not intended, but it was still fun! If only I can find a lying cup and a stabbable table to play the game irl.....
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Well they failed it, so my suggestion would be: They find rest of the cult slaughtered by Krune but don't know where Krune is for now.(Krune wouldn't have his equipment so he isn't going to be around for while and probably show up helping Alaznist in final book or earlier)
Like it is kinda bummer, but they DID fail that part and there should be consequences for it.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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So, question for GMs who have run this adventure... The Bestiary for this adventure seems to have several monsters who aren't referenced anywhere in the text, even in the random encounters table on pg. 83. Exmples are Ardoc Moilant, Ashullian, Kasthezvi.
Were these just included as examples of things you might run into throughout the adventure randomly? I have trouble with the Ardoc Moilant as one of those... it seems really specific to some dungeon or something, but the only thing I can find in the text is a vague reference to the Shrine of the Seal having construct guardians.
Cartmanbeck, I think Paizo typically publishes some extra content in the back of all their adventure path books. Often the monsters and lore articles are directly referenced in the book, but there's also often some extra stuff that you can use (or not) however you want.