WotBS [Spoilers included] Half WotBS diary, half GM asking questions

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 4, 2016

So, I've started to run WotBS (again) and we're 4 sessions in. Things go pleasantly regularly and the players seem to solidly enjoy themselves - no surprise, given the quality of the material.

Now, we're keeping a campaign journal over at https://war-of-the-burning-sky.obsidianportal.com/dashboard (I hope it's ok to sort of cross-promote this). If you want to read up on the progress of the party from a more in-character point of view, most of it (hopefully) written by the players themselves, OP is the way to go. I plan to use this thread for my own, GM-focused thoughts, and to pose questions to the ENWorld community, where I know the writers of WotBS might be lurking as well. I'll try to write 1 post per session, and keep questions seperate from the normal progress reporting.

So, enough idle talk, on with it!

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 4, 2016

As per http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?476080-Looking-for-mid-level-campaing, we started the campaign with established characters on level 3. Consequently, the first fight with the bounty hunters was a bit of a push-over. Granted, I was also plagued with horrible dice rolls, while the players kind of breezed through on 18s, 19s and 20s.
One of the players played in the last group I had tried to start for WotBS and figured to be a smarty-pants when he placed his wizard at a spot that HE thought was safe from the fire. His face was priceless when Coaltongue's bust came plonking down on the wizards head when the explosions hit. Clearly, I had failed to mention that the last time around.

The party quickly grew to Torrent and the task of getting the case and ran off to the Depository. After cracking up about "Depository" jokes (they're Brits, don't ask

) for 15 minutes they finally got on with it. I don't actually think they really worked out what Badgerface did with the whole "You need a password to open the case safely!" thing. I suppose I had the gnome explain it to them a bit awkwardly. Well, he was concussed and upset, sue me.. or him, preferably. but they DID understand the case's importance and chased after it.

All in all, it was a good start and set them well on track. I noticed that there's one potential problem with the group though: One character rolled ridiculously high on a few stats and plays a half-elf rogue with skill-focus Perception. So he get's such a bonus on his rolls on one of the most regularly used skill that the rest of the group pales somewhat in comparison. I will try and make sure to play on the other character's strenghts in the future.

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 4, 2016

I included making a list of all the characters top 2 or 3 skills in my prep for the evening. Will try to let other people roll on their good skills here or there, not just the perceptive rogue.

In chasing after the case the party comes across the crashed wyvern rider, a fight that they went in way too confident. It's just one guy, right? So they basically let the party's barbarian bash it out, and the guys first hit (granted, a good one) nearly brought her down.
Once at Gabal's school they managed to talk Diogenes into leading them to Shealis' rooms (I allowed Diogenes to imply Gabal prefers her over him because they might have a secret relationship - I think my players liked that). Since they were nice enough to just knock at her doors and wait, I decided she would just fly off to the Ghetto Hideout right then and there instead of dealing with the party, so by the time the characters finally barged in they barely saw her flying through the night. They then spent a longer while trying to break into Gabal's rooms - I flat out refused to let them, putting Walls of force and other obstacles in the way til they got the message. Not my best move, but hey.

Getting into the Hideout was dead easy (+13 to Perception plus elvish blood does that), and then it took some playing with the invisible Imp to get them to the house the elves were in. It was good fun to have the halfling barbarian be the receptacle of the imps coaxing out of all people. In this confrontation, the heroes thankfully took a more diplomatic stance and actually did their best to convince the elves of handing over the case instead of fighting - common enemy and all that. I felt generous and rewarded them with a bloodstain-free success here, so we ended the evening not on a fight, but with the Shahalesti agreeing to give the case to the party.

I'm almost feeling like I'm rushing things, push the party through the story too fast. I asked one of the players (my wife) about that, but she said she doesn't feel like it. Might enquire with others later.

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 4, 2016

Q:
Ragesian Empire / Ragesia. Is that the same entity? Or were countries like Dassen, Sindaire or Ostalin part of the empire with the country of Ragesia at it's heart?

hirou · Mar 4, 2016

thom_enworld said:
One character rolled ridiculously high on a few stats and plays a half-elf rogue with skill-focus Perception.

And that's why you never go with rolling stats, ever...

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 4, 2016

hirou said:
And that's why you never go with rolling stats, ever...

I don't usually. I picked up the GM mantle after two other guys ran earlier modules and both liked the randomness. Oddly, the guy who has his somewhat overlucky char rolled utter crap in his first char, which then died (not intentionally).
I have however come to the conclusion that two or three levels down the road the extra +1 or +2 he has here or there are going to be mostly smoothed out.

RangerWickett · Mar 4, 2016

thom_enworld said:
Q:
Ragesian Empire / Ragesia. Is that the same entity? Or were countries like Dassen, Sindaire or Ostalin part of the empire with the country of Ragesia at it's heart?

Not quite. Ragesia was once a country called Morrus that Coaltongue conquered, and from there he expanded to take nations called Latia, Kequalak, and Chathus. They've been part of Ragesia for decades.

Dassen and Ostalin are independent. Shahalesti is independent but allied. Sindaire let itself be annexed to avoid a war, but it maintains some independence.

thom_likes_gaming · Mar 7, 2016

Sweet deal.

So, before tonight's session 5 (I'll write up session 4 in the next few days) a few questions regards the 2nd book:
-- Clarification: Without Torrent's "Stand the heat" potions, the party will die in there, right? Even on the broader stretches of the road people suffer from what's described at the start of Appendix 1 (1d6 damage per minute).
-- Will things with the indomitable fire template die "for real" if they die a second time in one day, thus unable to use the templates SQ "Rekindle"?
-- Page 19 (3.5 version): the dream elemental appears everytime someone takes a dream seed and falls asleep, right? So, the dreamer dreams the dream described in the 2nd paragraph on the right column while those awake fight the elemental, right?
-- Torrent has 2 potions of Stand the Heat, plus "at least 6 more" according to book 1. Since that doesn't include Haddin and Crystin, the heroes would run out very quickly. Obviously I can adjust the actual amount. Any pointers as to how to play that?

I'll leave it at that, might have more later.

PS: page 6, is the fact that the forest burns less near the PCs caused by Indomitability? I seem to recall so, but can't find where...

RangerWickett · Mar 7, 2016

Stand the Heat gets them in. As soon as they meet Indom, he can keep them alive and let them resist the intense temperatures, so if you get rid of their potions they can keep adventuring (and Indom has them over a barrel, slightly; don't overplay that, though, because PCs hate being someone's bitch).

I don't recall (bear in mind, we published this 9 years ago). I think the idea was they'll rekindle once per day, so if you kill them again they'll lie around and wake up tomorrow.

I don't recall. That sounds right.

The intention was that Torrent has 'enough,' but not a lot so they can't spare a ton. There should be some trepidation going into a forest fire, after all.

Yes, Indom kinda opens a path for them to coax them in his direction.

Bill T. · Mar 8, 2016

Right, an indomitable creature can only rekindle once per day.

Don't forget that stand the heat is a cleric (and druid?) spell. If things are desperate, Torrent can take it in the morning. In my game I also included some potions in the wagon that was attached to the indomitable fire donkey in the ravine with the bridge that had an indomitable swarm of bats under it.

I don't think the dream elemental should appear more than once. It was attracted by the dreaminess, but those things aren't terribly common and having it appear every time they use the dream seeds will quickly get tedious.

As I'll illustrate as I continue describing my group's adventures, those dream seeds are pretty dangerous. There are all kinds of appropriate settings to use the things as the game progresses, which means there's always the danger you will need to run a dream sequence. You've been warned!