ZEITGEIST The Dying Skyseer: Cracked Cauldron

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Mrpereira

Explorer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #1

Hey there

I might have missed a thread somewhere but I can't seem to find anything about the Cracked Cauldron. I have the PF compilation and it states that information about the cauldron can be found in appendix M, however I can't seem to find any mention of the cauldron anywhere but where it is found in adventure two.

Can anyone help me out?

 

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hirou

Explorer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #2

I don't have all the files with me right now, but in 4e it allows to "prime" any ritual: you spend all components, store it in the cauldron and then can cast it as a standard action at any time. From my experience it is incredibly strong, possibly game-breaking, as many rituals allow to bypass challenges later on.

 

M

Mrpereira

Explorer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #3

We play in Pathfinder, so I would guess it has either a different power or is only relevant in 4th edition?

 

hirou

Explorer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #4

In standalone adventure 3 for Pathfinder I found the following:

The cracked cauldron is a cauldron of brewing (see Pathfinder Role-Playing Game Advanced Player’s Guide for more information).

 

gideonpepys

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

• Sep 19, 2018

• #5

hirou said:

I don't have all the files with me right now, but in 4e it allows to "prime" any ritual: you spend all components, store it in the cauldron and then can cast it as a standard action at any time. From my experience it is incredibly strong, possibly game-breaking, as many rituals allow to bypass challenges later on.

Click to expand...

My players were so aversed to the downside, they left it at home. (The downside is you have to carry the handle to activate the primed ritual, and all small creatures become hostile towards you - hissing and screeching and carrying on. So no stealth for you!) But they used it once or twice to teleport out of places.

 

A

Andrew Moreton

Adventurer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #6

In pathfinder a cauldron of brewing is largely useless. Not that my group even looked in the area of the cauldron. As I understand it 4th ed rituals are the same as normal pathfinder spells so it can't be that broken. Although my ignorance of 4th ed is vast and deliberate

 

T

Tormyr

Adventurer

• Sep 19, 2018

• #7

It might not be the information you want (or you already knew it), but the cracked cauldron is the cauldron the witches were using in the Bonds of Forced Faith mini adventure. When the king of Risur and his companions defeated the witches, the cauldron was knocked off of cauldron hill and fell thousands of feet to the ground below, where it was cracked.

EDIT: It was specifically used for the first bond of forced faith ritual (tying it to adventure 2), and my understanding of the "canon" is that the cauldron was cracked/broken to stop the ritual. So my understanding is that it is more of an Easter egg than a functioning item. Also it was quite big and not something the heroes would want to carry around.

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2018

hirou

Explorer

• Sep 20, 2018

• #8

The one ritual that is seeing most usage for me this way is Phantom Steed. Only level 6, 70 gp per cast, with decent Arcana check summons 8 shadowy "horse-like creatures" with speed 20 (so 200 feet per round with double move), who ignore difficult terrain and can run on water (and also would fly if not for Zeitgeist limitations). I'll leave to you the counting of situations where "get out of here and get there quick" is useful, but this speed alone allows to literally outrun most of the opposition.

 

M

Mrpereira

Explorer

• Sep 20, 2018

• #9

Thanks all for the answers.

It was the description as a Cauldron of brewing I was missing (both the name and in appendix M where it was supposed to be reference), which most likely will never find much use in my party - if they even find it.

As for the link to the Bonds of faith ritual, it would be cool for them to find it thus realising the easter egg somewhat later in the campaign.