D&D 5E (2014) Enhancing "Storm King's Thunder"

[Daern]

I finally updated my blog. Here's a condensed report from the last ten or so sessions. Basically, they've been knocking about the North and they've finally gotten around to checking out the Oracle...
http://neradia.blogspot.com/2017/05/storm-kings-thunder-sessions-6-16.html

 

[Daern]

Another session: They delved further into the Temple. Some characters hit 11th level tonight. Six stone giants was a challenging battle for a 9th and 10th level party, but it offered a lot of XP. The players enjoyed the puzzle of the statue room. They have a very good sense of the over arching plot, but they will still be shocked by what they discover at the site of the Oracle. I'm looking forward to an interesting next few months wherein the players attempt to stop the giants without alienating them and losing the possibility of calling on their aid for the final confrontation with Tiamat.

 

[Daern]

The party in my campaign are much higher than the expected level so I replaced the barbarians with Stone Giants. This made more sense to me anyways. I used Stone Giant Dreamwalkers from Volo's Guide. They were religious zealots who had made a pilgrimage to the Oracle, not to consult it, but to keep others out. Harshnag explained it as another example of the misguided madness of his people without the Ordening. I've dropped the barbarian subplot completely. Having added a whole dragon conspiracy, the barbarian part seems unnecessary. Hopefully I'll some of all those locations in some later campaign.

 

[Koren n'Rhys]

In my case, we play very casually - not rule-wise, but attention span. Lots of joking around as we drink a few beers, so very slow progress. My players have cleared Nightstone, befriending the remaining guards in the process. Smart play, they closed the drawbridge and defeat the goblins and worgs easily. I had the Seven Snakes come to the gate and try to bluff their way in, but the party was having none of it and sent them packing. I swapped Xolkin and Kella, and dropped an assassin PC version of X into the party as a DMPC to add some stealth and social skills the party was lacking, as well as a tie to Zhents, though they don't know it yet. He stayed out of sight and didn't let the Snakes know he was there. They will factor back in, having returned to Daggerford, if the party ever ends up down there.

Dripping Caves - more smart play and planning. Took out the ogres and goblin guards, rescued the prisoners and got them out and back to town before going back to explore further. They spent a night in Nightstone first, so I had the night watch report seeing torchlight in the wood off in the direction of the caves since they are only a mile or so away. When they returned next day, the goblins had been slaughtered - elven arrows, etc. I may drop the orcs/elves in if they try to track the elven party deeper into the woods.

Next is back to town, a reward for service from Morak (some gems and a healing potion or two), and drop a quest or two. Planning on Goldenfields and Triboar, with some NPC interaction and a minor skirmish in Goldenfields, no full-out giant attack, then the full Triboar scenario. They'll then hear Goldenfields was attacked also.

Unlikely to use Xephyros - maybe between Goldenfields and Triboar. I want them on the road to Goldenfields, and may run them by a modified version of Phylund Lodge from Scourge of the Sword Coast (orcs rather than gnolls) on their way north.

 

[Daern]

Take your time, have all the major NPCs talk up the news of giants messing everything up. They will get a sense of the big plot over time. I feel like the best thing I've done recently is to try to always over share campaign plot stuff, working under the assumption that players pick up about 50% of that at any given time.

 

[Raunalyn]

I didn't have time to read through each page of the thread, but here's what I'm currently doing.

I'm using The Sunless Citadel and Forge of Fury as my first 1-5 levels (we just started Sunless Citadel). The Citadel in the module states that it was made by a group of cultists who worshipped dragons. Ok...that's easy...Cult of the Dragon. The dragon mention is Ashardalon...easy to change, too. I made it Imryth (especially telling since there are a lot of dragon statues). As they get deeper, I'll start dropping tidbits from some of the writing they may find about the war between the giants and the dragons.

Forge of Fury will entail the group finding that the duergar in the forge are supplying the Fire Giants with iron for their plans. I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to key them toward the other giants (I would love to get them to Bryn Shander), but I still have plenty of time.

I will be using the conch shells. However, they will only transport the person who wields it. Which means they will have to target each of the giants (I'm planning on using milestones so they can start hitting the giants at 7th level, gaining one level for every second giant lord they defeat). I'll see how it goes.

 

[Creamsteak]

I will be using the conch shells. However, they will only transport the person who wields it.

I like this. Wish I had thought of it a few months back.

 

[Motorskills]

I like this. Wish I had thought of it a few months back.

I'm still mulling this (I need to make a decision VERY soon).


On the one hand, it would work brilliantly. Party raids Uthgar tombs for relics, and then uses those relics to teleport to Giant Homes A through E.

Rinse and Repeat.
Then with enough conches party teleports to Maelstrom.



But on the other hand it sounds like it will take a super-long time, and risks getting rather repetitive.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I'm still mulling this (I need to make a decision VERY soon.


On the one hand, it would work brilliantly. Party raids Uthgar tombs for relics, and then uses those relics to teleport to Giant Homes A through E. Rinse and Repeat.
Then with enough conches party teleports to Maelstrom.


But on the other hand it sounds like it will take a super-long time, and risks getting rather repetitive

Well, I simply had the storm giant court request the group retrieve the remaining conches from the other giant lords as punishment while the storm giants attempted to track Iymrith down. If you wait until that point, you can gauge how your group feels about an extended campaign and either go the short route by going straight to Iymrith or the long route by going and taking each of the conches back...

 

[Raunalyn]

I'm still mulling this (I need to make a decision VERY soon.


On the one hand, it would work brilliantly. Party raids Uthgar tombs for relics, and then uses those relics to teleport to Giant Homes A through E. Rinse and Repeat.
Then with enough conches party teleports to Maelstrom.


But on the other hand it sounds like it will take a super-long time, and risks getting rather repetitive

The original Against the Giants (which this module emulates) had your party going to each of the giant lords as well.