Heya!
I noticed that there wasn't made any threads like this for any of books for this AP so I took it upon myself to make one! They've been super useful to me in the past when I've ran other APs, so hopefully this one will be too.
Anyway, I started running this AP back around New Year's. My PCs are still at 2nd level in Chapter 1, but they've done the majority of quests now. After reading through the AP books I've made myself some thoughts about stuff I might change / adjust:
-Firstly I found it really weird that as written the PCs are considered outsiders to Highhelm (and possibly dwarven culture as a whole). Whilst I get that from an introduction perspective, I couldn't help but find it an odd choice when later in the AP the PCs are given these very important Dwarven relics and are allowed to just travel out with them. Especially if none of the PCs are Dwarves themselves. Like these aren't some random relics found off of the ground, these are culturally important artifacts!
-Speaking of the Relics I also found it really odd that out of the 4 relics in book 1, 3 of them are all tied to Sky King Taargick, but then one of them is just a random sentient tattoo? Seems a bit mundane in comparison. It also has no direct ties to the adventure or its themes like the other 5 relics (as the 2 other ones in Cult of the Cave Worm are directly tied to the titular Cave Worm). So I am thinking of maybe changing and/or adding relics to the adventure.
- Finally I am kind of disappointed at how underutilized Ygrin Oathcarver & Tuom Molgrade are the adventure module as written. I get that they aren't really a big threat in the grand scheme of things, but I think Skelms are really interesting and the two of them are the closest to a BBEG for book 1. So I am currently fleshing them out some more for my own run of the campaign (starting by making Ygrin Oathcarver the culprit of releasing the protean on the Tolorr Clan Crypt).
Thanks for starting this thread - I've been looking for a place to discuss / ask questions on this one too.
I also started running this AP in January. My PCs just hit level 2 last session, so they still have 3 main quests to do in Chapter 1.
For your specific topics:
-Relics: I agree that it's going to be a little tricky from a narrative perspective for non-dwarf PCs to be given these relics, and I'm also worried about that (my PCs are ALL non-dwarves). I think many of the campaign backgrounds from the Player's Guide give good reasoning for why the PCs would be very interested in Dwarven culture though.
-Relics pt2: In terms of moving things around, I've considered moving Kalmaug's Journal (from Cult of the Cave Worm) to Chapter 2 of Mantle of Gold. Not sure if I'll actually go through with that, but it could be a good/useful option for a prepared spellcaster PC.
-Ygrin/Tuom: I really like your idea for Ygrin releasing the protean, I might borrow that as well!
Other thoughts I've had so far:
-In the Blacknoon Gauntlet, I adjusted the treasure on the dead thief that had a shadow rune (seemed incorrect without having armor potency, as discussed in a different thread here). I replaced the armor rune with Charlatan's Gloves.
-Speaking of underutilized characters, I'm trying to figure out how to introduce Narseigus and Queen Frilogarma earlier. For Narseigus, I may try to incorporate him in Guldrege in some way (perhaps he visited Workshop Heights looking for more about the worm and Thenur remembers him?). For Queen Frilogarma, I'm planning to use her as an important character for the party's witch PC (i.e., I'm going to connect the Queen to the witch's patron).
I like that idea about moving Kalmaug's Journal to Chapter 2 of Mantle of Gold. Or at the very least add some of the pages there so they get the idea that "this is something you should be collecting" early on. Luckily I don't have to worry about the Relics being weird to give to non-dwarves as my players were very excited to be playing an "all dwarf party" after I told them what AP I wanted to run. Only one of them mixed it up initially and chose to be a Fleshwarp, but he choose to be a dwarf captured by Hryngar and turned into a Fleshwarp after escaping. I tied his backstory to having been Krohan's buddy and having tried to go on the adventure with him, then getting captured and turned into a Fleshwarp, which incidentally blinded him so he doesn't recognize Elbert Glassgrinder as being Krohan (although he thinks there is something familiar about his voice.
Charlatan's Gloves would probably be a good replacement. I just made it a +1 Studded Leather with Shadow (or more correctly, the Foundry module did that for me). But the players were immediately suspicious of getting a 5th level item in session 1 (Blacknoon Gauntlet was the first quest they did) and so were convinced that it was a cursed item and that they merely failed to identify it. So they sold it to Ixigia Glammertooth (from Lost Omens: Highhelm, the proprietor of Glammerous Goods) and split the money instead. I am happy with it. The fools actually failed their identify on the +1 dart and thus have transferred it (and the curse) to the ranger's bow.
As for Narseigus, I voiced a similar opinion in one of the other two threads. I thinking of maybe having some "cut-away" scenes showing him scheming in the background. I've done these in the past as either session openers or closers, basically showing a very short "cutscene" of the BBEG (or something else important) that happens away from the PCs. My players have been very fond of these scenes in the past.
I am thinking the first one will either be after the PCs recovered Skysunder from Guldrege or when they have finished the Rite of Reperation. I am thinking of having a dwarf or a Xulgath walk off into the shadows and then drop their illusory disguise to reveal themselves to be a Dero who gets out an amulet or magical doo-hickey that they contact Narseigus with. They will then say something like "Your visions were right, my master, the deplorable dwarves have recovered the traitor king's dagger!". I am planning on having Narseigus having a group of Dero "apprentices" working for him, simply because I like Dero and want to use them more. So they will be working like his spies around different places.
We finished chapter 1 yesterday. Well, most of it, they got a few minor quests left that they can do, but we'll see if they will do them. The PCs were interested in owning Silvercap Tavern so Dierdrali offered to sign it off to their names since it saves her the time of finding a buyer.
A thought I had yesterday is to make Skribellon have contact with Ygrin Oathcarver in Highhelm, and possibly even Narseigus' group. Skribellon is a very angry mushroom, and Skelm's love riling people up, so I am thinking of having the two having correspondances with each other. Not complete allies, but more like the Skelm realized what Skribellon is doing has been egging him on to take more drastic measures. Like using the invasive mushroom species in the sewers of Highhelm to spread his mushroom infestation faster. We'll see how that goes.
In other news I turned the Knights of Lastwall quest into a more involved VP skill challenge. Taking inspiration from Season of Ghosts which one of my player are running for us on the side, I turned spreading the reputation of the knights into a longer 6 VP required challenge. For their reward they ofc get access to the Knight dedications, but also spells, items, and feats requiring access to the Knights. Gave them a wand of Forced Mercy as an immediate reward in addition.
They haven't tried their hand a Diomira's Drop yet, but I am thinking that on the off chance that one of them actually succeed in making the full climb, they will get a minor boon from Bolka. I'll probably just use the same effect as Shelyn's minor boon, but we'll see.
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I recently began running it for my group, starting with the Crypt haunting. I elevated Heldin Ulgincamp to their primary contact. Bulgra Veldollow is Heldin’s great aunt. The tale of the party’s assistance at the Crypt inspired Bulgra to enlist the PCs for additional quests. Heldin also introduced them to their circle of friends, providing a conduit to guide them towards other adventures. A bit railroady but my group sometimes needs a big shove.
For “Blood in the Water,” I replaced the giant leeches with gremlins. These mischievous creatures were vexing Lady Shimmersnip and wreaking havoc on the farm. The party’s mission was to uncover the gremlins’ hiding spots. This change was designed to prelude the fey’s role in book two and acquaint players with the concept of fey residing in the Darklands.
Heldin extended an invitation to the party for the Stickleberry Festival, which I transformed into a significant event. I drew inspiration from Taylor Hodgskiss’s Founder’s Day Festival as detailed in the Abomination Vaults Expanded book.
One of the players is a Fungus Leshy gunslinger, and I’m eager to see their reaction to Skribellon and the Silver Cap Tavern, which they’ve yet to encounter. I’m fond of the idea of linking Skribellon with Oathcarver.
Same the Knights’ presence. They are among my favorites, and I'd love to amplify their role while delving deeper into the lore of the Whispering Tyrant.
So what are you folks thinking of this one?
Background: We're currently about to finish book 1 of QftFF. It's cool, but frustrating given the *extreme* survival aspect. We're now on a break that should end in about a month, and I've thrown out the idea of following the last battle of book 1 with a new AP, one that isn't as frugal.
No idea where we're going, but this one ranks high on my list. The other options are Season of Ghosts and Abomination Vaults, though the megadungeon aspect of the latter is a complete turn-off for one of my players. The same guy is a huge dwarf fan, too.
Also, our end goal is Kingmaker, but I'm not ready for that level of complexity yet. Plus the fact that I typically have to fill in with a PC, which makes KM even more difficult to run. Anyway, that's why short APs are favorable while we search for another player...
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So what are you folks thinking of this one?
Background: We're currently about to finish book 1 of QftFF. It's cool, but frustrating given the *extreme* survival aspect. We're now on a break that should end in about a month, and I've thrown out the idea of following the last battle of book 1 with a new AP, one that isn't as frugal.
No idea where we're going, but this one ranks high on my list. The other options are Season of Ghosts and Abomination Vaults, though the megadungeon aspect of the latter is a complete turn-off for one of my players. The same guy is a huge dwarf fan, too.
Also, our end goal is Kingmaker, but I'm not ready for that level of complexity yet. Plus the fact that I typically have to fill in with a PC, which makes KM even more difficult to run. Anyway, that's why short APs are favorable while we search for another player...
I'm enjoying it, one thing I wish I knew before starting so I could've prepped my player is that SKT is a heavy role-play AP.
As written it has a lot more skill challenges use subsystems like Victory Reputation, Investigation Points then it does combat. For example chapter 3 of Mantle of Gold encounters are:
1. Reputation Subsystem
2. Investigation Subsystem a bit of combat
3. Infiltration/Combat Subsystem.
So.. that may be a good training for Kingmaker... Those encounters are fun and the subsystem allows all players to contribute to the end result.
I'm adding a lot to the content, but that's something I always do.
It has a lot of set pieces that I wouldn't have thought of, which is great.
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50' per square seems to be the consensus elsewhere.
So as we went down into the Darklands last Saturday I had to finalize my random encounters table for the Darklands travel section in Chapter 2. Here is what I got.
During the day one member of the party rolls a d20. If it is 16+ they roll a d12 and I consult the table for the random encounter.
If they did not have a random encounter during the day they roll another d20 when they stop to rest for the night. If it is a 17+ they roll a d12 and I consult the table for the random encounter. They also roll a d6 to see who is on watch duty when the encounter happens (I got 6 players and I had them set a standard watch rotation).
PATH OF THE DAGGER RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
The encounter difficulties and monsters listed here are balanced for 4 PCs.
1. Lost Munavri
This going to be a recurring encounter in my Darklands table for the game.
A female munavri sailor named Ommarrin fell overboard during a battle and washed ashore in an unfamiliar cave. She has been trying to find her way back to her people for a long time, but with little luck. She has gotten incredibly, incredibly lost in the myriad of tunnels and caves of the Darklands and thus is ever so grateful for any assistance in finding her bearings. If the PCs offer her assistance in navigating the tunnels (by telling her where she is, where the nearest settlements are, or where the nearest body of water is) she offers her thanks and rewards them with some minor gift she has acquired during her journey.
I'll prolly elaborate on this encounter more as my game progresses.
Creatures: Using the Munavri Spellblade (Bestiary 3) statistics for now.
2. Harassing Scamps - TRIVIAL 3
- Daytime: The party comes across a group of Scamps who are harassing a nearby traveller (could be a merchant, a guard patrol from Highhelm, or maybe just some lost wandering Darklands denizen). The party can either engage the scamps in combat to drive them off, or try to engage them in conversation/use an appropriate skill check to scare them away.
- Night time: The Scamps try to sneak up on the sleeping party to perform some pranks of minor annoyances. Probably stealing something noteworthy like the Adamatine Echo from Krohan or an important item from the PCs. If the Scamps are successfully undetected they stick around to watch the PCs reaction for when they wake up, giving the PCs a chance to catch the thieves.
Creatures: One Mephit Swarm found in Pathfinder Society Scenario #2-16: Freedom for Wishes. I dunno what the rules are for posting official statblocks, but this one was free on Foundry but isn't on Nethys so IDK.
Alternatively just use two regular Scamp statblocks from Monster Core (or Mephits from the Bestiary). Pick whichever two you want.
3. Blindheim Hunters - LOW 3
- Daytime: The party comes across a underground river where a pair of Blindheims are hunting. They wait patiently in the water for the group to try to cross. When whichever one looks the smallest/weakest attempts to cross they leap out to strike, attempting to drag their chosen prey under the water to drown and bring back to their lair.
- Nightime: The Blindheims comes across the party's camp and attempt to sneak in, abscond with the smallest member and flee back to their lair.
Creatures: 2 Blindheims, Bestiary 2.
4. Scorpion Attack - LOW 3
- Daytime: The party comes across a group of Cave Scorpions laying in an ambush.
- Nighttime: A group of Cave Scorpions comes across the party's camp and attacks them in their sleep.
Creatures: 3 Cave Scorpions, Bestiary 2.
5. Xulgath Hunting Party - LOW 3
- Daytime: A group of Xulgaths begin stalking the party waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The party might notice them being followed due to the stench. If not noticed the Xulgath waits until the party camps for the night before striking.
- Nighttime: A group of Xulgaths attempt to sneak up on the party's campsite and kill them all in their sleep.
Creatures: 3 Xulgath Warriors or 2 Xulgath Skulkers, both statblocks are from the Bestiary.
6. Myceloid Survivor - LOW 3
One of Scribellon's allies grew wise to the Leshys true intentions, and attempted to convince the other Myceloids that they had to kill the overzealous Leshy. They failed to convince the other Myceloids and was soon chased away from the colony. Ironically this lead to this Myceloids survival, who now prowls the tunnels of the Darklands alone, hunting for food and planning their revenge.
Once this encounter is rolled, the Myceloid has encountered the party. Sensing an opportunity, the myceloid stays hidden and attempts to stealthily follow the party so that they can observe them. The next time the party camps, the Myceloid attempts to sneak into the camp to infect them with purple pox in order to create new Myceloids. If discovered it attempts to flee or negotiate with the party, attempting to recruit them in their revenge plot against Skribellon. If the party accept, the Myceloid joins them for their journey, but continues its attempts to "accidentally" infect the party with Purple Pox.
Creatures: 1 Myceloid, Bestiary 3
7. Lurking Spider - MODERATE 3
- Daytime: The party is ambushed by an Ogre Spider who attempts to kill and eat one or more of them.
- Nighttime: The Ogre Spider sneaks up on the party's camp and attempts to kill and eat one or more of them.
Creatures: 1 Ogre Spider, Bestiary 2
8. Prowling Ankhravs - MODERATE 3
The party feels trembling under their feet. Moments later a pair of Ankhravs emerge from the ground to attack them.
Creatures: 2 Ankhravs, Bestiary or Monster Core.
9. Blocked Tunnel - MODERATE 3
The party comes across a tunnel which is partially blocked by a small boulder. There is some space above the boulder, but it is too small for a medium creature to squeeze through, requiring the party to either find a way around or dig their way through.
The boulder is actually a sleeping Living Landslide, which will stir awake once something attempts to crawl on top of it. It is not happy about being awoken, and starts the encounter as unfriendly if they were crawled upon, or hostile if they were attacked (in the instance of the party trying to dig their way through it). The party can attempt to calm the landslide down and have it move aside, but unless its attitude is changed to friendly, it demands tribute in return.
If this encounter is rolled during the night the party awakens to find their path forward being blocked by the boulder, which was not there when they went to sleep yesterday.
Creatures 1 Living Landslide, Bestiary/Monster Core
10. Approaching Bloodstorm
This encounter isn't fully fleshed out yet. I'll probably create a custom hazard for this and make it a recurring thing through the adventure. I am taking inspiration from the Bloodstorm presented in Lost Omens: Highhelm.
The sound of buzzing insects verberate through the nearby tunnels. A telltale sign of the oncoming Bloodstorm. The party is nowhere near powerful enough to fight the Bloodstorm on their own, so they must escape or hide before the Bloodstorm can catch them.
11. Dero Ambush - SEVERE 3
A dero slaver party ambushes the party, attempting to subdue and capture them to bring back as slaves. They flee when reduced to 1/3rd of their health or when the strangler dies.
Creatures 3 Dero Stalkers, 1 Dero Strangler, all from Bestiary/Monster Core.
12. Crayg, Xorn Merchant
This going to be a recurring encounter in my Darklands table for the game.
The party encounters Crayg, a wandering Xorn Merchant. Crayg has items to sell or trade for, and he buys any precious gemstones at a 25% mark-up (so if a gem is normally worth 10gp he buys it for 12gp and 5sp).
Creatures Xorn, Bestiary
Just as a little heads-up, there's a very similar encounter in book 2, chapter 2, but with a Cavern Troll.
9. Blocked Tunnel - MODERATE 3
The party comes across a tunnel which is partially blocked by a small boulder. There is some space above the boulder, but it is too small for a medium creature to squeeze through, requiring the party to either find a way around or dig their way through.
The boulder is actually a sleeping Living Landslide, which will stir awake once something attempts to crawl on top of it. It is not happy about being awoken, and starts the encounter as unfriendly if they were crawled upon, or hostile if they were attacked (in the instance of the party trying to dig their way through it). The party can attempt to calm the landslide down and have it move aside, but unless its attitude is changed to friendly, it demands tribute in return.
If this encounter is rolled during the night the party awakens to find their path forward being blocked by the boulder, which was not there when they went to sleep yesterday.
...Huh, well I'll be damned. This is what I get for skipping reading the room-by-room encounters and random encounters on my first time reading through the books. Thanks for the heads up, gonna have to change this encounter somewhat.
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I don't remember a bit about Jirelga disappearing, for me she's in the Broch prison, and you have to get evidence to show she's been framed to free her.Okay, so Jirelga [sp?] the gnome survivor, it alternately says that she disappeared and that she's in this private prison... did she disappear from the private prison?
This part of the plotline just doesn't quite make sense to me.
So... it's very confusingly written. Looks like there's an error in the editing.
It says that she's 'disappeared'
It also says that you can bribe the jailer to interview her.
but then it not only doesn't provide artwork [usually a guaranteed w/ an important PC] but gives the DM no guidance on what that interview would look like.
I THINK that she was originally supposed to have been kidnapped by the gang?
And on top of that, there's a line about the interminable dwarven justice system... so they haven't given her a hearing b/c they take forever, but when the PCs show up with kinda weird, circumstantial evidence [which doesn't really exonerate her for anything] then they let her go???
Is there a better way to conclude this book? I like the bad guys, and I like the forgery stuff, but... maybe Jirelga's just not involved and this is some other plotline, and you just hire her for book 2?
Going to possibly have the last session of book 1 later tonight. I've decided to Ygrin to Narseigus by having him communicate with the Wormcaller through the fireplace when the party comes into the room with him. This will be how Narseigus gets introduced to the party (besides being in one of my PC's backstories) and I'll offer them a chance to talk a bit with Narseigus and Ygrin (whom hopes to either turn them over to their side or get them to lower their guard slightly before attacking them).
I've also given Ygrin pages of Kalmaug's Journal so they can start gathering it early. Changing the relic to work like a staff instead of a Grimoire since none of my PCs are prepared casters.
Also since I have 6 players I decided to add Xomar Glavit (from book 3) and Arghan Tolorr (bio from Lost Omens Highhelm) into the Clan Festival as influenceable NPCs.
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Going to possibly have the last session of book 1 later tonight. I've decided to Ygrin to Narseigus by having him communicate with the Wormcaller through the fireplace when the party comes into the room with him. This will be how Narseigus gets introduced to the party (besides being in one of my PC's backstories) and I'll offer them a chance to talk a bit with Narseigus and Ygrin (whom hopes to either turn them over to their side or get them to lower their guard slightly before attacking them).
I've also given Ygrin pages of Kalmaug's Journal so they can start gathering it early. Changing the relic to work like a staff instead of a Grimoire since none of my PCs are prepared casters.
Also since I have 6 players I decided to add Xomar Glavit (from book 3) and Arghan Tolorr (bio from Lost Omens Highhelm) into the Clan Festival as influenceable NPCs.
tomorrow is session 1 for me.
I'm going to have Narsegius at the party. No reason not to have the BBEG right there at the start when there's no reason why he wouldn't be there. He'll be invited by Ygrin, and our buddy who will take the PCs to retrieve the dagger [name escapes me at the moment] will start blabbing about worms.
Should lead in nicely to Book 2.
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Sorry, but this gnome is just BUGGIN' me.
Looking through Book 2 and like... she's a guide to what should be a fairly well known location in the Darklands. And... that's it. And why isn't she at all connected to the original expedition to her destroyed home earlier in the book?
Like, you could just hire someone to take you there. So... what's the reason that she in particular is important?
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One of the PCs has involvement with forgery and artifact dealing. I think what I'll do to tie in Jirelga is have her sell some relic - maybe something that 'fell' off the worm??? which our intrepid PC comes across and it's got some hints to Felgunn / Targick [still thinking if I should go for it being a 'relic' or just a powerless item]. That would then help with Targick pointing out the need to find her in Part 3. BUT... I dunno.
Seems kinda weak. What do you guys think?
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Sorry, but this gnome is just BUGGIN' me.
Looking through Book 2 and like... she's a guide to what should be a fairly well known location in the Darklands. And... that's it. And why isn't she at all connected to the original expedition to her destroyed home earlier in the book?
Like, you could just hire someone to take you there. So... what's the reason that she in particular is important?
Yeah, Jirelga's irrelevancy (and the handwaving of dealing with the prison warden) is bugging me as well. So inspired some stuff I read online (I forget if it was here or on reddit) I've made her extremely paranoid, jittery, and vengeful against the worm. She wants to find Zogototaru and kill her. So she isn't going to leave once they reach the Court of Ether but instead stick around as an ally of sorts for the party. I also dropped the whole prison thing and just had Jirelga be a prisoner in the Gremlin room of the bakery.
One of the PCs has involvement with forgery and artifact dealing. I think what I'll do to tie in Jirelga is have her sell some relic - maybe something that 'fell' off the worm??? which our intrepid PC comes across and it's got some hints to Felgunn / Targick [still thinking if I should go for it being a 'relic' or just a powerless item]. That would then help with Targick pointing out the need to find her in Part 3. BUT... I dunno.
Seems kinda weak. What do you guys think?
Since I wanted to introduce the relics all a bit earlier, I made it so she had the "relic seed" of the Avernal Cape in the form of a scale belonging to Zogototaru. The relic seed will at the moment just give the fire resistance if you spend an action raising it, but it gives the PCs an indication that there will be a worm relic. Which I think is important as one of the PCs is a Created Fleshwarp who is trying to ascend into Cave Wormhood. So since everyone else has gotten relics so far I wanted to make sure they know "Yours will come as well, young worm." Jirelga and the PC have had... interesting interactions so far. The PC admires Jirelga's grit in surviving being swallowed by Zogototaru and keeps calling her "The one blessed by the worm!" and Jirelga deep down just wants to kill the abomination that reminds her of her home's destruction. But guided by the shard they now travel to the Court of Ether to find the Cave Worm.
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So... had some second thoughts about THE LADY.
She's great. But boy oh boy... them leeches.
At CR 2, w/ 2 of them, their AC, w/ cover is NINETEEN.
That's just unconscionable, esp. while the PCs are dealing w/ the crab.
As I have ruminated on this a bit, I think it would be best if the WEAK template were slapped on them, reducing their HP to 22 and reducing their AC under cover to a still very high 17.
Going to possibly have the last session of book 1 later tonight. I've decided to Ygrin to Narseigus by having him communicate with the Wormcaller through the fireplace when the party comes into the room with him. This will be how Narseigus gets introduced to the party (besides being in one of my PC's backstories) and I'll offer them a chance to talk a bit with Narseigus and Ygrin (whom hopes to either turn them over to their side or get them to lower their guard slightly before attacking them).
I've also given Ygrin pages of Kalmaug's Journal so they can start gathering it early. Changing the relic to work like a staff instead of a Grimoire since none of my PCs are prepared casters.
Also since I have 6 players I decided to add Xomar Glavit (from book 3) and Arghan Tolorr (bio from Lost Omens Highhelm) into the Clan Festival as influenceable NPCs.
tomorrow is session 1 for me.
I'm going to have Narsegius at the party. No reason not to have the BBEG right there at the start when there's no reason why he wouldn't be there. He'll be invited by Ygrin, and our buddy who will take the PCs to retrieve the dagger [name escapes me at the moment] will start blabbing about worms.
Should lead in nicely to Book 2.
That is just a good idea, make him stay just a few rounds before departing and make contact to the party. He is just here to make attendance after returning to his travels. Giving him some signs of the transformation and him just lying about magical mishaps.
So... had some second thoughts about THE LADY.
She's great. But boy oh boy... them leeches.
At CR 2, w/ 2 of them, their AC, w/ cover is NINETEEN.
That's just unconscionable, esp. while the PCs are dealing w/ the crab.
As I have ruminated on this a bit, I think it would be best if the WEAK template were slapped on them, reducing their HP to 22 and reducing their AC under cover to a still very high 17.
My party had no issues at all with the encounter. They took out both leeches without making any attempt to pull them out first. I called it 'hard mode'. They made ample use of Captivate Crab action and tossed heals on the Lady to show her they were trying to help her.
I think they were at level 2 when they took her on, but might still have been at level 1.
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So... had some second thoughts about THE LADY.
She's great. But boy oh boy... them leeches.
At CR 2, w/ 2 of them, their AC, w/ cover is NINETEEN.
That's just unconscionable, esp. while the PCs are dealing w/ the crab.
As I have ruminated on this a bit, I think it would be best if the WEAK template were slapped on them, reducing their HP to 22 and reducing their AC under cover to a still very high 17.
My party had no issues at all with the encounter. They took out both leeches without making any attempt to pull them out first. I called it 'hard mode'. They made ample use of Captivate Crab action and tossed heals on the Lady to show her they were trying to help her.
I think they were at level 2 when they took her on, but might still have been at level 1.
I ended up reducing the leeches to 'weak' making them CR 1.
The Lady still brought down the cleric [everyone learned that nobody else had any healing ability, and only the spending of a hero point saved the Thaumaturge, who was in the Lady's grasp [a successful acrobatics check got her our]. The kineticist leaped on top of the Lady and pulled out the last remaining leech. The gunslinger managed to kill both leeches, and Pearlcask dragged the cleric out of the Lady's claw and to safety.
anyway, I'd recommend altering the combat as I did if your PCs enter it at level 1. I probably wouldn't recommend any changes at level 2.
Everyone complained about the Foundry dice roller, this session [only our second on Foundry]... until the Basilisk challenge, when our gunslinger could not stop crushing it. Won the game for the Hodags!
There does not have to be for the expedition, since that was already stated that he pays half up front, and half after. Repeating that at the end of chapter 2 would be a waste of page space.
However, that said, on Page 61, Krohan will pay the party more if they get him re-accepted into the clan at the Family Festival. So, there is another mention of him paying the group.
Did anyone else wonder how the spitty things in the mushroom worked? It seems like from the text that they only shoot on the inside, but shouldn't they be a defense from the outside as well [or instead?]
I used them as cannon, though my party started the engagement, due to bad luck for the bad guys, from well outside effective range. In my case, they added tension, However, on page 48, right above the spitter pods stat block, it says they can reach the windows. So, the text itself does say that they can defend outside.
It's very hard to evaluate if a fight is hard as groups are different, what they do is different, and the characters and players are different.
If a group snuck up on the tower and were fighting all of them at close range, yes, that would be harder. Note, too, that if your group was beat up massively by the slime and sheep heads, they can just retreat a half mile or so and rest overnight, then tackle the house at full strength.
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It's very hard to evaluate if a fight is hard as groups are different, what they do is different, and the characters and players are different.
** spoiler omitted **
they don't really have a hang-and-bang PC. best thing they have for that role is a thaumaturge.
the cleric's player is kinda getting tired of going down every fight. before he abandons the campaign, i suggested that he rebuild to a champion, so he can still do the healing function, keep his player concept, and not get smashed into a pancake when there's a strong breeze. we'll see if he takes me up on that offer.
What is your party comp? Maybe we can help with ideas for survivability if we know what you're working with.
It sounds like a very heavily ranged group. You might want to encourage them to try and kite people - ranged attack or spell and then stride sort of action economy. If they hit the ooze in the cavern, I think that would have been brutal for them, but that's just a bad matchup. If they try and go in close on things, that could lead to difficulties as none of them can really 'tank'
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It sounds like a very heavily ranged group. You might want to encourage them to try and kite people - ranged attack or spell and then stride sort of action economy. If they hit the ooze in the cavern, I think that would have been brutal for them, but that's just a bad matchup. If they try and go in close on things, that could lead to difficulties as none of them can really 'tank'
I failed to level them up to 3 when they went into the Darklands.
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Was running the bit in the archive, and there's a line about the ghostly possession of Ole Krohan, which talks about him having to pass a DC 20 flat check to resist the possession, and also about what happens if he critically succeeds on said check... needless to say, it's impossible to critically succeed at a DC 20 flat check.
It didn't make any sense to me, told my players, and they thought that the author probably meant a Will Save, which I thought made more sense.