ArendK |
So my group wanted to start Wrath of the Righteous. No big deal, we've done mythic before and had a blast with the over the top nature of it. And we decided to really run with it, so 25 point buy, Elephant in the Room feat taxes, background skills, etc. We're probably not going to slow the mythic progression, so might as well have a blast.
However, what I was not prepared for was the characters presented to me at the conclusion of our session 0.
They are all dwarves. All of them divine classes (Paladin of Torag, Cleric of Torag, Speaker of the Past shaman of Torag, and Warpriest of Groetus). And they decided they are all related; paladin married to the cleric, shaman is cousin to the paladin, warpriest is paladin to the cleric.
After discussing how they all were going to be involved in the Crusade, the paladin announced that in addition to his goal of helping the Crusade stem the tide of the Abyss, he wanted to establish his own dwarf clan and outpost.
And it just so happens that the beginning of book 2 begins with Queen Galfrey giving the party titles and land in thanks for their service in the Worldwound Incursion. And it just so happens that the sky citadel Jormungun is in the lands of the Worldwound. Which just so happens to be filled with Duergar and demons right now.
I don't want to waste this opportunity- I think there's a fantastic opportunity here, but I don't know how to capitalize on it.
I don't know what to do in terms of layout, complications, etc. in reclaiming the sky citadel. But I see the potential for an epic adventure along the lines off the reclaiming of Mithral Hall (from Forgotten Realms fame).
I've got ideas, and given the loose nature of this, I think anytime between books 2 and 4/5 would be appropriate to do the reclaiming. But how do I make it epic? I have no idea how to make taking and holding the city nearly as epic as it could be. Nor do I have any idea what to do for the Sky Citadel as I can find jack and squat for these as far as examples or layouts.
I have ideas, but I'm open to any that people can suggest. I'll list some of mine here.
-Duergar "king" currently sits on the throne, wielding a corrupted Axe of the Dwarvish lordds (corrupted to be against all dwarves maybee?)
-Use mass combat rules to do a Minas Tirith style siege in the Wolfcrag with the crusaders against marching demonspawn that can't teleport. Further use of the primary tower of Jormungun in the canyons of the Wolfcrags where the dwarves are carved into the stone of the cliffs to overlook a massive siege/defense.
-Big scary demon and demon tainted creatures (following mithral halls example and using a half fiend or fiendish shadow dragon comes to mind) are the big monster at the end.
-Follow the story of redemption in the AP and see if there's a way to redeem the duerger?
I'm open for ideas, and would love to help bring this opportunity to life.
Gidonamor |
First off, I love the premise of this. In Book 2, they already reclaim a dwarven-made fortress, and the dwarven commander there has information on the Sky Citadel (which is what he sold his soul for, iirc). So this could be a fine basis to start from.
On timing, I'd say after book 2 and before book 5, because once they start on the Labyrinth, everything is on a timetable. Of course it's more epic the later it happens, but I'd also say that they'd have the most free time during book 3.
There is official info on Jormurdun, the citadel, detailing some of the environmental dangers around the citadel, and that 1/3 of it are home to a clan of Duergar(while the rest is still covered in traps and ancient guardians), worshipping Shivaska and led by a demon cleric (CR 19). This could be the basis for the big scary demon and the tainted creatures. Maybe even have some tainted/possessed dwarves surviving. Somre redemption is also a great idea.
The mass combat rules are not for everyone, but if your party likes them, you could do it in a similar way as Book 2: first a siege, and then clear the important stuff without an army.
Concerning layout, maybe Book 4 or 5 of Ironfang Invasion can help, it includes adventuring in a (lost) subterranean Sky Citadel.
For more advice, you could also ask this question in the r/pathfinder_rpg subreddit, this forum is a bit empty at times.
ArendK |
Appreciated for your feedback. I missed that Drezen was dwarf-made. With mythic, they might be able to handle Shivaska and the cleric even at a much lower level. I still think Jormungun has the certain je ne se quois as opposed to just taking Drezen (which is almost immediately claimed by Queen Galfrey and Mendev as part of the Crusade).
The concept they came up with was so cool I'm kind of mad I'm not a player in it, but I want to make it as fun as I can for them while still fulfilling the requests they made as part of our session 0 (which is what led us to Wrath of the Righteous- high level antics, planes hopping, demon slaying, and maybe some mass combat).
I didn't know about Ironfang, that's new information for me. I figured if I was ever going to do something along the lines of Ironfang, I'd just dig out my old pathfinder notes on Red Hand of Doom.
There's so much potential in the idea and the groups concept that I want to reward them for it. I'd love to have their clans come out to help with defending the siege (ala the elves at Helms Deep or as the Rohirrim), or the crafting/finding of a dwarven artifact that can help turn the tide of the Crusade.
Also, I'm thinking before they set out for Jormungun (presumably they'll let the Crusade know they are off to do their own thing), Galfrey will start reaching out to neighboring nations to get assistance in the form of Hellknights, Aldori swordlords, Chelish military, the Winter Witches etc. to get support while the party is out. Which depending on who arrives (Cheliax and the Hellknights would stir some concerns and strife, the Aldori might just squabble against themselves, Winter Witches could cause some concern) would give the group some new blood to interact with and a few units with different capabilities.