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(Spoilers) My experience with Reavers of Harkenwold - Updated
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<blockquote data-quote="Nemesis Destiny" data-source="post: 5736581" data-attributes="member: 98255"><p><strong>Encounters T2 & T3</strong></p><p></p><p>I basically decided to run these two encounters overlapping, in two phases. The idea was to make it <em>hard</em>. Maybe I was still smarting from them having bypassed my cliffside murder encounter from my version of T1, or maybe I was just feeling sadistic. Actually, I probably just wanted to see how tough a 4th edition party could be.</p><p></p><p>The group entering chamber 3 on the map triggered the T2 combat encounter to begin. The group managed to sneak into a somewhat favourable position, gleaning some information on the enemy and their positions, but they didn't know about the reinforcements.</p><p></p><p>I ran T2 mostly stock, though I refluffed all the participants. The croakers were recast as goblins and Gloorpk as a hobgoblin Kaz'ralgh cultist. I made the oozes into Barghests, some of Kaz'ralgh's favourite servants.</p><p></p><p><img src="http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/326/d/b/barghest_savager_by_nemesisdestiny-d4h0hsf.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="http://worldofmyrth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/barghest-savager1.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>After a couple rounds of combat, the reinforcements started to arrive from T3. Ugloor, I refluffed as a hobgoblin champion, the leapers became goblins, and the two giant frogs I changed to tainted wolves. The main reason I chose to use the wolves and not the frogs was due to feedback I'd been hearing about this encounter - the frogs were apparently a major source of grind and frustration. The wolves did not pose that problem.</p><p></p><p>I also took the liberty of inserting a cameo by an NPC who would play a recurring role in my old 3.x campaign from years ago (that game takes place a year and a half ahead of this one). Her inclusion (a raven shapeshifter sorceress) served to engage the players who were present for that old game, and also a way to rub in that, contrary to the players' increasingly popular belief, sometimes the baddies *do* get away. The sorceress had abilities that ensured she would not be pinned down.</p><p><img src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/326/6/7/morag_the_raven_sorceress_by_nemesisdestiny-d4h0ix6.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="http://worldofmyrth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/raven-sorceress-morag1.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>As noted in my first post, this encounter was pretty close to a wipe. The healer went down halfway through the fight, and the players weren't well prepared for wave after wave. Then my dice just went cold. The healer, down and into negative hit points, would have died, which would have certainly led to a TPK, but I rolled an unlucky 1 on an attack for an area burst in which he was caught, so he survived. Someone else (the defender, I think) was able to get him mobile again, and they pulled it out of the fire before all was lost.</p><p></p><p>It was close though. Everyone was out of powers, low on hit points, and unable to do much by way of healing. As the sorceress fled, she knocked another PC, one of the strikers, into unconsciousness. Some more of the villains tried to flee, but the PCs would have none of it. Two of them pursued, nearly drowning in the process, but they killed all the other monsters.</p><p></p><p>Among the more interesting uses of PC powers was one of the group using a cold power with Do Something Cool to freeze the pool in the chamber, along with a couple of baddies unlucky enough to be standing in it at the time. That was pretty effective and saved a couple players from losing characters, probably.</p><p></p><p>Other changes I made included substituting Hymling, a shape shifting warrior lad for Heron, the hapless halfling boy. My campaign doesn't use halflings, and their substitute, brownies, were not flavour appropriate in this case.</p><p></p><p>Also of note, Snilvor got away and has not been seen again since. He was stabbed while trying to save one of the characters from drowning. Some gratitude. He'll be back. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>More coming tomorrow.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nemesis Destiny, post: 5736581, member: 98255"] [b]Encounters T2 & T3[/b] I basically decided to run these two encounters overlapping, in two phases. The idea was to make it [I]hard[/I]. Maybe I was still smarting from them having bypassed my cliffside murder encounter from my version of T1, or maybe I was just feeling sadistic. Actually, I probably just wanted to see how tough a 4th edition party could be. The group entering chamber 3 on the map triggered the T2 combat encounter to begin. The group managed to sneak into a somewhat favourable position, gleaning some information on the enemy and their positions, but they didn't know about the reinforcements. I ran T2 mostly stock, though I refluffed all the participants. The croakers were recast as goblins and Gloorpk as a hobgoblin Kaz'ralgh cultist. I made the oozes into Barghests, some of Kaz'ralgh's favourite servants. [IMG]http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/326/d/b/barghest_savager_by_nemesisdestiny-d4h0hsf.png[/IMG][IMG]http://worldofmyrth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/barghest-savager1.png[/IMG] After a couple rounds of combat, the reinforcements started to arrive from T3. Ugloor, I refluffed as a hobgoblin champion, the leapers became goblins, and the two giant frogs I changed to tainted wolves. The main reason I chose to use the wolves and not the frogs was due to feedback I'd been hearing about this encounter - the frogs were apparently a major source of grind and frustration. The wolves did not pose that problem. I also took the liberty of inserting a cameo by an NPC who would play a recurring role in my old 3.x campaign from years ago (that game takes place a year and a half ahead of this one). Her inclusion (a raven shapeshifter sorceress) served to engage the players who were present for that old game, and also a way to rub in that, contrary to the players' increasingly popular belief, sometimes the baddies *do* get away. The sorceress had abilities that ensured she would not be pinned down. [IMG]http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/326/6/7/morag_the_raven_sorceress_by_nemesisdestiny-d4h0ix6.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://worldofmyrth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/raven-sorceress-morag1.png[/IMG] As noted in my first post, this encounter was pretty close to a wipe. The healer went down halfway through the fight, and the players weren't well prepared for wave after wave. Then my dice just went cold. The healer, down and into negative hit points, would have died, which would have certainly led to a TPK, but I rolled an unlucky 1 on an attack for an area burst in which he was caught, so he survived. Someone else (the defender, I think) was able to get him mobile again, and they pulled it out of the fire before all was lost. It was close though. Everyone was out of powers, low on hit points, and unable to do much by way of healing. As the sorceress fled, she knocked another PC, one of the strikers, into unconsciousness. Some more of the villains tried to flee, but the PCs would have none of it. Two of them pursued, nearly drowning in the process, but they killed all the other monsters. Among the more interesting uses of PC powers was one of the group using a cold power with Do Something Cool to freeze the pool in the chamber, along with a couple of baddies unlucky enough to be standing in it at the time. That was pretty effective and saved a couple players from losing characters, probably. Other changes I made included substituting Hymling, a shape shifting warrior lad for Heron, the hapless halfling boy. My campaign doesn't use halflings, and their substitute, brownies, were not flavour appropriate in this case. Also of note, Snilvor got away and has not been seen again since. He was stabbed while trying to save one of the characters from drowning. Some gratitude. He'll be back. ;) More coming tomorrow. [/QUOTE]
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