Forgotten Realms and Red Hand of Doom - seeking some ideas!

Hi there guys!

I'll start by saying this post has major Red Hand of Doom spoilers in it, so don't read if you're going to be playing that module.

All gone now?

That includes you, Mr Eccles!




Right, now they're gone, I'm intending to run the Sons of Grumsh, leading into The Red Hand of Doom. I've been looking for an excuse to use my copy of the FR campaign setting, so that is where it will all be set.

There were several bits I could do with some help/brainstorming on:

1) What would you include to showcase the flavour of the Forgotten Realms?

2) It is likely the PCs will undertake a journey from Moonsea to Impiltur between the modules. This is up in the cold North/North-East part of the setting. Anything in particular to throw in there?


Red Hand of Doom:

3) There is a dwarven mining settlement that gets a cursory mention. I'd like to expand on this. Give the PCs the opportunity to get involved in recruiting them to fight the Red Hand. Traditionally, the dwarves have a problem and need adventurers to solve it. An idle thought was having one of their mining works break into some Grey Dwarf complex. Possibly an abandoned temple. Any ideas?

4) One NPC is called the Ghostlord - a Lich Druid 6/Blighter 5. Unfortunately, exactly the same as a major BBEG from my last campaign. I'd like to replace him. Not sure what with? Ideally some type of undead. His part of the module partly hinges around someone having posession of his phalyctery and using it to blackmail him. What other type of undead could someone leverage a hold over? It's not essential that he's able to make undead - if not, then I'll simply expand the powers of his artefact.

5) Section 4 and Section 5 of the adventure feel like they're in the wrong order. Fighting the army feels like it should be the climax of the module. Could simply flip them, adjust the challenges and swap the bosses over. Anyone got any more creative thoughts on that?

Any input onto any of these, or anything else, would be great appreciated. Feel free to fire off questions!

Thanks in advance.

2) Could it be that the evil Lady What's-her-face in Brindol is allied with the Zhentarim in some way?

4) I made the Ghostlord a swarm-shifter -- he could turn into a swarm of undead scarab beetles. I also gave him a small network of tunnels that only his swarm form could navigate. Gave him a way to get out of the action to buff up for a while. I also made the Heart of the Lion more fragile.

5) I flipped them around. The goblin ranger in the swamp can provide the rough location of the Fane of Tiamat, or it could be in some notes from Ulwai Stormwhoever at the Ghostlord's lair. The heroes have a chance to stop the BBEG from summoning the aspect of Tiamat at the Fane. Also at the Fane the heroes find some battle plans, which they can use to pick out various "missions" at Brinol. They may need some kind of teleportation help to get from the Fane to Brindol in time.

Finally, see this thread -- lots of similar discussion has taken place over the past few months: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=161679

Eric

EricNoah said:

2) Could it be that the evil Lady What's-her-face in Brindol is allied with the Zhentarim in some way?

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That's a fun idea.

Can't quite recall her name, Lady Vall/Vaal or something like that. Know who you mean anyhow!

Could possibly involve the Zhents with the Red Hand as well... perhaps supplying them with arms? Could set up for a potential springboard into something else later.

EricNoah said:

4) I made the Ghostlord a swarm-shifter -- he could turn into a swarm of undead scarab beetles. I also gave him a small network of tunnels that only his swarm form could navigate. Gave him a way to get out of the action to buff up for a while. I also made the Heart of the Lion more fragile.

Click to expand...

Another fun idea.

Was he also a lich in your version?

EricNoah said:

5) I flipped them around. The goblin ranger in the swamp can provide the rough location of the Fane of Tiamat, or it could be in some notes from Ulwai Stormwhoever at the Ghostlord's lair. The heroes have a chance to stop the BBEG from summoning the aspect of Tiamat at the Fane. Also at the Fane the heroes find some battle plans, which they can use to pick out various "missions" at Brinol. They may need some kind of teleportation help to get from the Fane to Brindol in time.

Finally, see this thread -- lots of similar discussion has taken place over the past few months: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=161679

Eric

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Very nice thread linky, thanks! Seems my thoughts on the module are not dissimilar to some other peoples.


Both good pointers to the Fane. Prefer either of them over the 'I had a vision' method the module used. Seems more satisfying. Perhaps the location from one place. Some diary musings about what they're doing from the other. The portal connecting the Fane to Vaal's manor needs more consideration...

Was considering having the Fane connected with summoning demons only. Save the aspect for after Azur Kul is defeated. To avoid tagging it on the end of a long fight, might have it manifest when the bodies of the hobgoblin dead are burned outside the gates.


By the way, thanks very much for posting your XPH conversions - I'm doing precisely the same thing and will certainly be inspecting those.

Likewise I was going to replace Stormcaller with a psion, but figured I'd do that myself as it'd be easy and fun.

I'd suggest you also include Orcus too. It's in his area of the Realms...and he probably doesn't like having Tiamat hosting all those dragons in his former servant's palace. (Not that he liked Zhangyi or anything but still principle and all..)

Nightfall said:

I'd suggest you also include Orcus too. It's in his area of the Realms...and he probably doesn't like having Tiamat hosting all those dragons in his former servant's palace. (Not that he liked Zhangyi or anything but still principle and all..)

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IIRC, Dragons of Faerun says something about Tiamat and Orcus actually being allies at the moment. I remember my DM cackling about it when he read throug DrOF when it came out, as he is running us through Bloodstone Redux, as someone is using Zhenghyi's palace as a place for a new portal to the netherworld..."

Vayne,

Honestly I don't recall that and if it might be true, I doubt Orcus cares much for Tiamat's role in the "destruction" of his Wand either. Those two things probably made Orcus see Tiamat in the same light he see the Lords of the Nine, or at least enough since she's on Avernus to begin with.

I wrote this up a while ago when Red hand of Doom came out

Vaasa & Damara

North East Moonsea

Replace Azarr Kul with Shudu-Ab Princess of the Dark Scaly Ones (LE Female Mulan Cleric 6 of Tiamat/Talon of Tiamat 7): When the Mulhorandi took Unthalass Shudu-Ab and her Serpent Guard fled through a portal linking Altar of the Scales in Unthalass with the Wings of the Queen Reborn temple beneath Castle Perilous

OR

Azarr Kul is a Half White Dragon; he’s the son of Arctigis, Zhengyi the Witch Kings White Dragon Mount

Replace Drellins Ferry with Darmshall

Vraath Keep was an old military outpost of Damera’s. The Witch Kings army destroyed it when they invaded Damera

Make Warklegnaw a Cloud Giant instead of a Frost Giant

Skull Gorge Bridge spans the Pelauvir River north of Darmshall in Vaasa

Jarett Nurth is a CE Female Rogue 4/Cleric 4 of Orcus

Mercenary Gold encounter: Captain Helmbreaker and his Shing Axe Company are based in the Hillsafar Hall mines in Vaasa

The Lions of Brindol are Spysong agents

The Tiri Kitor are a Small tribe of Avariel living in the Bottomless bogs in Vaasa

The Blackfens are the Bottomless bogs (Which are located West of Castle Perilous and east of the Pelauvir River. The Ruins of Rhest are the ancient remains of Giant city long since abandoned. Describe everything as normal but make it giant sized

Replace the Ghostlord with Banak (CE Human Lich Cleric of Orcus 6 Thrall of Orcus 5) Banak has relocated to the recently uncovered Dwarven mines of Talagbar, he has done this so the Grand Father of the Assassins wont know about his stolen Phylactery

Change Varanthian from a Half Fiend Behir to an Adult White Dragon

Replace Brindol with Bloodstone Gate.
Replace the Cathedral of Pelor with the Abbey of Saint Sollars (Ilmater)
The Shrine to Yondalla is in Waukeshire (In Bloodstone pass but not in Bloodstone gate itself)

Replace Lord Kerden Jarmaath with Baron Tranth (Im assuming Gareth gave the Bloodstone Barony back to Baron Tranth when he became King of Damara)

The Battle for the Walls of “Brindol” is actually the battle for the Vaasa Gate

The Fane of the Tiamat is located in the cavern under the Witchkings castle

*gives Dargy a big gold star* You just made my day! Rogue/cleric of Orcus! And a Thrall too!