D&D 5E Enhancing "Storm King's Thunder"

[Motorskills]

The thing to remember about Klauth is he's a raging paranoid freak, and anything that might be a threat to him is something that needs killing. Rampaging giants would probably be viewed as a threat.

That works, thanks.

Edit: and if Klauth figures out that Zalto is rebuilding the Vovindod, he's actually right to be concerned.



I also like the idea of the crew overtly hating the party.


Edit 2: And I may even have a cultist hate the party so much (since they killed both Venomfang and his mates) that he eventually breaks orders and tries to kill them (maybe even by sabotaging the airship).

 

[Motorskills]

Some shameless self-promotion, if that's alright:

I've just uploaded The Flying Misfortune - A Storm King's Thunder Adventure to the DM's Guild. I've created it to specifically address to points I found lacking in STK: the lack of foreshadowing for Felgolos (Chapter 9) and Iymrith, the Doom of the Desert. Besides that, it's designed to be an exciting adventure to use during Chapter 3 or 4, that should challenge a party of 6th to 10th level.

The download includes:

• A seven page adventure - split into two parts, this adventure first has your party squaring of with Zhentarim dragoncatchers and a bronze dragon, and later sneaking into an ancient dwarven city in the desert, where two blue dragons are laired.
• Two new items - the netlauncher, a mundane contraption great for catching dragons and giants alike, as well as the magical pipe weed Yondalla's Delight.
• Two handmade battlemaps - one is a 30x40 forest road map that has great general usability, and the other is a huge 100x50 map of the desert ruins of Ascore. Both maps come with and without grid, and the map of Ascore has both a DM and a player version.

Even if you don't run the adventure, the forest map is perfect for running random encounters while travelling the Sword Coast, and the map of Ascore can be used if your players find their way there.

I hope you'll take a look at it. It's 1.99$ at the moment, which I think is fair - but let me know what you think

I'm going to be using The Flying Misfortune shortly, next session or two. They already met Felgolos in his halfling form (figured it out afterwards), and know that the Zhents have put a bounty on him "information leading to the capture of".

The party now has a Zhent member, and better relations with the Zhents, so I am going to have to play the recruitment for Felgolos' mission quite carefully.


I will be making Imryith's gargoyles all out of Dumortierite (and/or similar blue minerals), colour palette here, and I will have them all feature Imryith's distinctive skullhorn. When Imryith speaks through the gargoyle I will also give her a distinctive voice (still working on that, maybe I will say that it crackles (like lightning) ).


I want the party to have a jawdrop moment in Maelstrom when they suddenly realise who the advisor is....

(I will only allow the Oracle to point the finger at the advisor, not reveal she is an Ancient Blue).

 

[Daern]

I will be making Imryith's gargoyles all out of Dumortierite (and/or similar blue minerals), colour palette here, and I will have them all feature Imryith's distinctive skullhorn.

Post pics please!

 

[Daern]

Have combined SKT, ROT, POTA and eventually OOTA

I'm trying to do a similar thing. Will you talk more about what you have done so far?

I have made the demon rampage through Menzoberrenzan part of the backstory for one character and I've brought in the Sky Castle from Hoard of the Dragon Queen into the mix via "Crashed Frozen Castle" (blog post forthcoming).
I'm looking forward to the party saving the King only to hear the sound of the Draakorn blowing...

 

[Koren n'Rhys]

Finally got my group started on the adventure. Party consists of five L1 characters: Human Barbarian (Emerald Enclave), Rock Gnome Wizard, WoodElven (UA) Ranger, Ghostwise Halfling Cleric & Gold Dragonborn Paladin (Harper).

I started the group in Daggerford using the hooks that Lady Velrosa is looking for adventurers to help her deal with both the local elves and a troublesome goblin tribe that's moved into the area. I also planted the seed that there has been an increase in humanoid raids and activity around the area in general - what has them all stirred up?

Once on the road to Nightstone, I kickstarted things a bit by dropping in the goblin ambush scene from Lost Mine - dropped two of the 5 PCs but everyone survived in the end. The players quickly figured out that goblins are tricky but pretty squishy if you can catch and hit them. This week they'll move on to Nightstone proper, hearing the tolling bell as they close, but it will fall silent before they arrive. They're clued into goblins now, but the devastation caused by the bombardment will be a mystery until they learn more, or can find and talk to survivors.

As a group, the players are used to the idea of a DMPC running with them, to help fill gaps in party make-up and feed them story info as needed. They are lacking a rogue and the skills they offer, and reading the adventure, I see lots of potential for what the Zhents and their connections can offer, so my plan is to use the Seven Snakes. I'm going to make Xolkin the spy already embedded in the village and Kella the bandit leader who's infatuated with the charismatic half-elf. I'll stat up Xolkin as a full PC, gold half-elven rogue (assassin) with the charlatan background. I'm pretty sure they'll buy into the need to work with the Zhents (with more of an organized crime direction then necessarily evil). I plan to play him as the Neal Caffrey character from White Collar. Spying, disguise, forgery, etc, the assassin bit will be there, but unknown to the PCs. That lets me feed info as needed without stepping on toes or interfering with combat, I think.

 

[Motorskills]

Post pics please!

Pics of what?

 

[tardigrade]

Once on the road to Nightstone, I kickstarted things a bit by dropping in the goblin ambush scene from Lost Mine - dropped two of the 5 PCs but everyone survived in the end.

That reminds me - my party is currently level 2, doing various small quests around the Triboar area and was going to set off to Nightstone in a session or two, but they're mostly new players and seem to be enjoying the low levels so I don't want to zoom up levels too quickly. Does anyone familiar with LMoP have any thoughts on how straightforward (or otherwise) it would be to stitch LMoP into SKT, in whole or in part, either before Nightstone or between Nightstone and Triboar? It sounds workable in principle and I liked the sound of the suggestion above about using the spellforge to foreshadow the Vodinod, but I don't have LMoP (yet), and I'd rather not buy it if there's something in that plan that really won't work.

I'm a little worried about goblin fatigue, though - they've already faced some and they've got more to come in Nightstone...

 

[robus]

That reminds me - my party is currently level 2, doing various small quests around the Triboar area and was going to set off to Nightstone in a session or two, but they're mostly new players and seem to be enjoying the low levels so I don't want to zoom up levels too quickly. Does anyone familiar with LMoP have any thoughts on how straightforward (or otherwise) it would be to stitch LMoP into SKT, in whole or in part, either before Nightstone or between Nightstone and Triboar? It sounds workable in principle and I liked the sound of the suggestion above about using the spellforge to foreshadow the Vodinod, but I don't have LMoP (yet), and I'd rather not buy it if there's something in that plan that really won't work.

I'm a little worried about goblin fatigue, though - they've already faced some and they've got more to come in Nightstone...

Sure. The characters could be hired by Gundren in Triboar to guard his wagon while he rides on ahead. The fact they've proven their mettle makes that more believable. You might want to resituate a couple of locations if they're coming from Triboar but not a big issue. Level 2 is a fine starting point for LMoP.

 

[tardigrade]

Fantastic - thanks!

 

[Daern]

Pics of what?

It sounded like you were making mini figs for the gargoyles. You keep mentioning some sort of blue stone. Maybe I misunderstood.