D&D 5E Enhancing "Storm King's Thunder"
Motorskills
Explorer
Demetrios1453
Hero
It must be in there. I'll post when I find it, hopefully someone beats me to it.
*points back three posts*
(I'm guessing you didn't see it since it was at the end of the page before this one)
Motorskills
Explorer
Nice.
Still not sure if it is specifically called out elsewhere, but that's a decent way to do it. (Of course, there are so many NPC names flying around that they might need multiple prompts. And I'm fine with that.
Yep
If you're seeding the gambling boat, since they are traveling from Triboar to the east, it's easiest to simply give them an invitation when they pass through Yartar. Your players will probably think it little more than amusing fluff and world-building at the time....
Was going to do that, they already have a couple of "ins" for Yartar, so it works nicely.
Motorskills
Explorer
The party can find out the complete truth from the The Oracle (pg 130), so I don't think it hurts to drop the name in now and again, mix it up with "Doom of the Desert".
The idea is to watch their faces drop as they figure it out....
The idea is to watch their faces drop as they figure it out....
Daern
Explorer
My latest session... I tried to get them into the cloud castle but they weren't having it. So they went on their first overland trek. I didn't use it because I haven't reviewed the rules but I want to try using the Adventures in Middles Earth journey rules. Anyone tried them?
In any case, after being super cautious about giants, these silly players decided to kiss off the ancient wyrm and nearly died for their troubles. I'm thinking Gnawbones is ok with giants rampaging around and will be amused if he can manipulate the players into slaying the one good aligned frost giant.
Session #2: An Audience with the Wyrm of Kyrptgarden
Traveling along the Sword Coast and the North. Ignoring the newly docked sky castle above Waterdeep, the pained roars of the creature above, the struggles of the Winged Pegasus Knights, and the golden request of well connected douchebag Danilo Thann, the party decided to hang out drinking cider and eating exotic sweatmeats from the Moonshae Isles on the street until the could consult with Chaz Yardhorn, renowned dragon expert extraordinaire, and cat lover. He told them of the ancient enmity between dragons and giants and suggested they seek help from one of the great wyrms of the North, Old Gnawbones the Green in Kryptgarden Forest. He was also very interested to make an etching of Althea's doom-y Black Dragon Mask, which he promised to research while she was traveling. He gave them potions of poison proofness with which to prove their mettle against the dragon they sought.
Thinking carefully, Althea returned to Bezel the Jeweler and re-bought the crown of Barovia as an offering for Old Gnawbones. Ghael the Barbarian selected a small herd of sturdy horses equipped with saddles, bags and tack (at a cost of 100gp each) and they set off, setting the shadow of the Sky Castle behind them, though Apollo's purse felt lighter of a sudden.
In the Inns along the way, the "Sleeping Dragon" and the "Singing Sword" of Red Larch, the talk was of Giants raiding food stores yes, but also of red haired giants excavating massive pits in the ground. No one knew why. Amidst all this chaos, the people of Red Larch were even more grim. They seemed to have been terrorized for some time by "maniacs" and "moon men". The elements themselves were an enemy in the Dessarin Valley.
Entering the tangled fastness of the Kryptgarden Forest, the first sighting was of a beautiful triad of dryads fleeing their bathing area, even leaving their towels and jewels. The source of their terror soon became apparent with the shaking of the earth and snarling of hellish hounds. The druid camouflaged her fellows and they ambushed the massive iron man tower, a veritable 20ft dreadnought of blackened steel smashing a wide swath through the forest. With spell and sword, wand and spear they laid low the armored foe.
Soon after the Old Gnawbone himself had accosted the party. With the corpse of man dangling out the side of it's cavernous jaws, dragon accepted the offering of the crown and demanded yet more treasure. Finally it offered a cryptic utterance, "Find Harshnag Greyhanded. This is all his fault. Slay him and your troubles will ease. The Wyrm of Kryptgarden cares note!"
"Fine you jerk!" said the haughty wizardess Althea. "We don't need you anyway." And she spit at the dragon as she and her fellows turned away.
There was a pregnant pause, a mighty inhalation that sucked all the oxygen from the forest air, then all was green, their lungs were burning and the heroes were stumbling running out of the forest, their horses, slain, themselves hardly more alive, they dragged themselves to the town of Triboar.
In any case, after being super cautious about giants, these silly players decided to kiss off the ancient wyrm and nearly died for their troubles. I'm thinking Gnawbones is ok with giants rampaging around and will be amused if he can manipulate the players into slaying the one good aligned frost giant.
Session #2: An Audience with the Wyrm of Kyrptgarden
Traveling along the Sword Coast and the North. Ignoring the newly docked sky castle above Waterdeep, the pained roars of the creature above, the struggles of the Winged Pegasus Knights, and the golden request of well connected douchebag Danilo Thann, the party decided to hang out drinking cider and eating exotic sweatmeats from the Moonshae Isles on the street until the could consult with Chaz Yardhorn, renowned dragon expert extraordinaire, and cat lover. He told them of the ancient enmity between dragons and giants and suggested they seek help from one of the great wyrms of the North, Old Gnawbones the Green in Kryptgarden Forest. He was also very interested to make an etching of Althea's doom-y Black Dragon Mask, which he promised to research while she was traveling. He gave them potions of poison proofness with which to prove their mettle against the dragon they sought.
Thinking carefully, Althea returned to Bezel the Jeweler and re-bought the crown of Barovia as an offering for Old Gnawbones. Ghael the Barbarian selected a small herd of sturdy horses equipped with saddles, bags and tack (at a cost of 100gp each) and they set off, setting the shadow of the Sky Castle behind them, though Apollo's purse felt lighter of a sudden.
In the Inns along the way, the "Sleeping Dragon" and the "Singing Sword" of Red Larch, the talk was of Giants raiding food stores yes, but also of red haired giants excavating massive pits in the ground. No one knew why. Amidst all this chaos, the people of Red Larch were even more grim. They seemed to have been terrorized for some time by "maniacs" and "moon men". The elements themselves were an enemy in the Dessarin Valley.
Entering the tangled fastness of the Kryptgarden Forest, the first sighting was of a beautiful triad of dryads fleeing their bathing area, even leaving their towels and jewels. The source of their terror soon became apparent with the shaking of the earth and snarling of hellish hounds. The druid camouflaged her fellows and they ambushed the massive iron man tower, a veritable 20ft dreadnought of blackened steel smashing a wide swath through the forest. With spell and sword, wand and spear they laid low the armored foe.
Soon after the Old Gnawbone himself had accosted the party. With the corpse of man dangling out the side of it's cavernous jaws, dragon accepted the offering of the crown and demanded yet more treasure. Finally it offered a cryptic utterance, "Find Harshnag Greyhanded. This is all his fault. Slay him and your troubles will ease. The Wyrm of Kryptgarden cares note!"
"Fine you jerk!" said the haughty wizardess Althea. "We don't need you anyway." And she spit at the dragon as she and her fellows turned away.
There was a pregnant pause, a mighty inhalation that sucked all the oxygen from the forest air, then all was green, their lungs were burning and the heroes were stumbling running out of the forest, their horses, slain, themselves hardly more alive, they dragged themselves to the town of Triboar.
Motorskills
Explorer
So my campaign structure is starting to take shape.
I just finished the Battle of Triboar. The party will be tasked with visiting Citadel Fellbar first, to follow up about the Fire Giants (that will include Ghelryn's quest and letter of introduction). My guys will shortly hit L7, so they are already tough for SKT, but that's not really an issue, easy to add extra baddies to almost all of the encounters.
They will do all the other quests on the way (I will relocate Darz' quest from Xantharl's Keep to Sundabar - which works great as the surface city is a ruin that is off-limits to non-dwarves, perfect place for a fugitive to lie low!
From Fellbar they will assault Ironslag, having encountered a few dead Fire Giants, and other indications that Harshnag is in the area.
They will encounter Harshnag on their way out (although I will have him in the area if the PCs really need rescuing).
That campaign structure will mean that the party do (at least) two of the Giant strongholds, which I'm happy about.
I will seed the journey with info about Klauth, the Doom of the Desert*, the gambling establishment, and more. That's where the Guide to SKT comes in very handy.
*A question - where is the name Iymrith used, only in Maelstrom? Or is it really as obvious as connecting Iymrith the Dragon to Iymrith the Giant?
What triggers the party to make the link that they are one and the same?
As well as moving the Xantharl quest to Sundabar, I will reverse the locations of the sword of giant-slaying quest. I will send the party to meet the father on the gambling boat in Yartar (foreshadowing the poker chip!!) and he will send them to the son who has run off to the family estates in the nowhere-ville that is Zymorven Hall.
Since my guys annihilated the Cult of the Dragon in LMoP, as well as Venomfang, I will actually use that as an "in" for Klauth and the airship.
The airship crew will wave a literal white flag and simply say that Klauth finds them intriguing, that their aims are aligned, and that Klauth wants the crew to serve the party. And what Klauth wants...happens.
I will have one of the aircrew embittered, his brother was killed at Thundertree....
As for Iymrith...I will use the name Doom of the Desert in a 2:1 ratio to calling her Iymrith.
Demetrios1453
Hero
LOL
They were lucky to have escaped in that good of shape after telling off an evil dragon!
Charles Rampant
Explorer
Man, I love Claugilyamatar. She's such an interesting character - the grumpy and territorial Dragon who is known as Old Gnawbones, but who also pines for the sights to be seen in Waterdeep and Silverymoon, and dreams of joining those cities as their open and revered ruler.
There is a stellar article on here here, which I highly recommend. There is also a map of her spy organisation's HQ in Waterdeep, which comes with this blurb:
I'm desperate to use her in my own games.
There is a stellar article on here here, which I highly recommend. There is also a map of her spy organisation's HQ in Waterdeep, which comes with this blurb:
I'm desperate to use her in my own games.
Daern
Explorer
They are 7-9th level but I still had to give them a break, give them the benefit of the doubt ("Of course we had immediately drunk the potions of poison resistance the sage gave us for just this situation!")
I had no idea about that base. "There's a Goodman Games 5e module that is basically a dragon's lair that I'll use if they ever go back and try to take her down.
I did have the sage pontificate for a bit about a theory that dragons gather treasure because they are jealous of the creative energy of the human race.
