9-25 Betrayal in the Bones

[avagdu]

I'm getting ready to run this for a local convention this weekend, and I want to verify something for playing the lower subtier.

Spoiler:

In Area B, if you are playing 12-13, there are no glabrezus, which means that the "Thurl's Preparations" sidebar on page 20 for Area C4 will never happen in the lower subtier, right?

[Terminalmancer]

I believe that's right. In any event, that's how I would have run it, had it come up. (I ran high subtier instead.)

[CanisDirus]

Question about the Glabrezu tactics in area B1 - because they are not summoned (they wouldn't be able to use teleportation if they were), death for them is final. Do they have any conditions that would see them flee other than if the Warsworn is defeated (i.e. if the PCs focus on the demons moreso than the undead)?

From B2, what chronicle does "Hero of the Five Kings" appear on?
(Nevermind, I found this one - huzzah for adobe full reader search, it's from #1-37: The Beggar's Pearl)

Thanks in advance!

[CanisDirus]

Something else I just noticed - the Gallu has Improved Critical (Falchion), but only wields a glaive. Is this feat supposed to be for the glaive, or is the Gallu supposed to have a back-up weapon as a falchion?

Thanks in advance!

[andreww]

Regular Gallu demons wield falchions. Thurl got changed to use a reach weapon but it looks like they didnt change his feats.

[CanisDirus]

That explains it, thank you! When I ran it tonight (last night, at this point lol), he never got a chance to swing it in melee, even in "hard mode".

Solid scenario, I must say. Gave my local seekers a healthy challenge (and if not for breath of life, a couple of casualties).

[TriOmegaZero]

I'm looking forward to when I get to run this, as our table nailed hard mode to the ground with overwhelming spells. The brute fight at the start was the only point we found ourselves pressed, as the sorcerer had to be BoL'd from a full attack. I think the final encounter and the penultimate one suffer from small room maps versus the dynamics of the magma room. Still a great romp.

[TriOmegaZero]

Preparing to run this tomorrow and I note that the high tier fossil golem does not appear to have full stats. I assume we just need to apply the abyssal template and roll? Or was it also supposed to have the young template?

[Belafon]

Steven Schopmeyer wrote:

Preparing to run this tomorrow and I note that the high tier fossil golem does not appear to have full stats. I assume we just need to apply the abyssal template and roll? Or was it also supposed to have the young template?

It looks like it’s supposed to be the same as Tier 12-13. A fiendish young fossil golem. But for some reason the high tier golem has more HP.

Also, I can’t figure out why the 12-13 fossil golem has 112 hp. A regular fossil golem has 122 hp (on 15 HD). The “young” template would ordinarily subtract two hp per HD, but that’s because of the lower Con score, so that shouldn’t affect this creature that has no Con score. And even if it did apply, that would be -30 hp, not -10.

I’m just going to run it using the low tier stat block with the hp indicated in scenario, depending on the tier. I figure the writer and developer did it on purpose.

running it this weekend myself. Really looking forward to it.

[Belafon]

At the low tier, Thurl’s “weakened” condition includes 3 negative levels. Does that lower his caster level as well? It’s likely to matter when he uses word of chaos.

For reference, here’s the critical part of the CRB text on negative levels.

Quote:

The creature is also treated as one level lower for the purpose of level-dependent variables (such as spellcasting) for each negative level possessed. Spellcasters do not lose any prepared spells or slots as a result of negative levels.

[TriOmegaZero]

Yes. They had a similar issue in Hrethnar's Throne.

[Majuba]

Looks to be a fun scenario to run, though I'll admit I really don't remember it much from playing it.

Gotta say, am heavily disappointed to see an Advanced, Young creature again - just bad design that feels like cheating.