RangerWickett
Legend
Because PCs might want to level it up later.
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The Exploits of Javelin Company, RHC Flint Chapter [Starting Cauldron Born!]
- Thread starter al_fredo
- Start date
Ran the Manor encounter last night.
DMs: MacBannin is way too easy. I have a party of 4, they came in fresh for the day, with 4 Allied Officers (who were mostly ineffective). MacBannin got dealt about 60pts of damage and was grappled before he could act. I upped his HP to 190. With him grappled and marked, his ranged attacks were out. Also, He needs to get close to hex AND someone has to attack him THEN they get a curse. It's a slow moving affect.
The most dangerous people in this encounter are the house staff. You have to keep track of who attacked last round (with 22, this is rough book keeping)...but hit for 10 points of damage is a pretty big deal. If 11 are attacking each round, and half hit - that 50pts. With "improvised weapons" doing 10pts with 'house help'....seems rough. I decreased their damage by 2 pts each round, to simulate fatigue. Basically the minons are too tough, and Macbannin is too weak. This is the MAIN guy...and he almost went down before he could act. He ended getting all his curses out on 1 PC (ha!)...and if I didn't up his HP, none would have came out.
The geysers randomly took out house staff...didn't affect the PCs. MacBannin finally went down, and I had one knife-fighter retreat. When the other went down, there were still roughly 14 house staff left....I had them surrender. Basically, adjust this encounter so that MacBannin is more of a boss, and the minions behave more like gardeners.
So...they saw through the exaggeration of MacBannin, but still thought that they would need him to fix the lab problem. They brought him. I ruled that one of the officers had Mage Cuffs.
The Lab
So...this part was a bit strange. Reed is actually helpful here, as he doesn't want to destroy his city. PC's see the engine, and deal with Jaguars. Reed said they need to repair the engine...so, all of these checks seem meaningless to me. They run downstairs, grab the supplies, come back up. They do their 5 INT checks...and at this point, Reed knows what to do...not sure why I'm doing the checks. They are threatening Reed all the way.
Going back to the control room, they feel like they are just guessing. They turn the pumps on slow, and hear the groaning what not. So they stop. They threaten Reed again...but he doesn't really know what's going on. My thief is impatient, and decides to stab him in the groin(!). I rule that Reed passes out!
They get a better view of the reservoir, and see the two pipes on the west wall and a wheel. The thief goes for the wheel, fails a PER check, and I have Creed on the catwalk behind her. The rest of the party is in the control room...and have the Kell Thugs on coming down the stairs. We stopped there.
So, I'll run the fight. And I think the puzzle is OK from this point out. The engine thing seemed not-needed. With a knife to Reed's throat...wouldn't he just instruct the PCs exactly what to do???
Meanwhile, I have an anti-climatic battle with the dragonborn scheduled for the next day (courtesy of Cippiano). Thought about putting them in this, but it might not make too much sense. Anyway...appreciate suggestions here.
DMs: MacBannin is way too easy. I have a party of 4, they came in fresh for the day, with 4 Allied Officers (who were mostly ineffective). MacBannin got dealt about 60pts of damage and was grappled before he could act. I upped his HP to 190. With him grappled and marked, his ranged attacks were out. Also, He needs to get close to hex AND someone has to attack him THEN they get a curse. It's a slow moving affect.
The most dangerous people in this encounter are the house staff. You have to keep track of who attacked last round (with 22, this is rough book keeping)...but hit for 10 points of damage is a pretty big deal. If 11 are attacking each round, and half hit - that 50pts. With "improvised weapons" doing 10pts with 'house help'....seems rough. I decreased their damage by 2 pts each round, to simulate fatigue. Basically the minons are too tough, and Macbannin is too weak. This is the MAIN guy...and he almost went down before he could act. He ended getting all his curses out on 1 PC (ha!)...and if I didn't up his HP, none would have came out.
The geysers randomly took out house staff...didn't affect the PCs. MacBannin finally went down, and I had one knife-fighter retreat. When the other went down, there were still roughly 14 house staff left....I had them surrender. Basically, adjust this encounter so that MacBannin is more of a boss, and the minions behave more like gardeners.
So...they saw through the exaggeration of MacBannin, but still thought that they would need him to fix the lab problem. They brought him. I ruled that one of the officers had Mage Cuffs.
The Lab
So...this part was a bit strange. Reed is actually helpful here, as he doesn't want to destroy his city. PC's see the engine, and deal with Jaguars. Reed said they need to repair the engine...so, all of these checks seem meaningless to me. They run downstairs, grab the supplies, come back up. They do their 5 INT checks...and at this point, Reed knows what to do...not sure why I'm doing the checks. They are threatening Reed all the way.
Going back to the control room, they feel like they are just guessing. They turn the pumps on slow, and hear the groaning what not. So they stop. They threaten Reed again...but he doesn't really know what's going on. My thief is impatient, and decides to stab him in the groin(!). I rule that Reed passes out!
They get a better view of the reservoir, and see the two pipes on the west wall and a wheel. The thief goes for the wheel, fails a PER check, and I have Creed on the catwalk behind her. The rest of the party is in the control room...and have the Kell Thugs on coming down the stairs. We stopped there.
So, I'll run the fight. And I think the puzzle is OK from this point out. The engine thing seemed not-needed. With a knife to Reed's throat...wouldn't he just instruct the PCs exactly what to do???
Meanwhile, I have an anti-climatic battle with the dragonborn scheduled for the next day (courtesy of Cippiano). Thought about putting them in this, but it might not make too much sense. Anyway...appreciate suggestions here.
Finished Skyseer last night.
We pick up with Creed and two Kell Guild knife fighters (who are actually really brutal) in level 2 of the lab. Reed is unconscious due to shock, and one of players is on the far side cut off by Creed, while the Kells have the other pinned in the control room.
Creed take out the thief PC in two turns, as the rest of the group try to bull rush their way to help her. The Knife fighters are tough, but they use some RHC officers to block a bit, and they end up avoid hits (somehow!).
Our grappler drags a knife fighter to the cat walk, and throws him over, but he saves...and now dangles over the side hanging on to the railing. Creed is easily blinding people with reach, but his pistol shot keeps missing. Curses!
Our healer gets to the thief in time...she failed 2 death saves! She spends a turn using 2nd wind and gets up her strength. Finally Creed is hit by radiant damage, and the thief swoops in and hits with a good attack. A few rounds later, he goes down...the wizard and fighter dealing with the Kell thugs. The final thug asks for mercy once he sees Creed go down.
DM note: My party typically doesn't go for kills...so I had Creed roll off the catwalk into the witchoil. Not sure how you insure his death when the party doesn't want it.
The scene was wrapped up, and Reed taken into custody. The PCs were supposed to fight the dragonborn brother that night...but I felt that it was anti-climatic. They received a letter from Morgan saying the brothers had fled once they heard of the arrest of Reed. However, he provides a note ordering the arson of factories written in Reed's hand to bolster the case.
The PC are getting ready for trial. I actually think they would have enjoyed being cross examined...and hearing a good defense for Reed...it was getting late, though, and I wanted to close out the adventure. They were worried, since I said the defense will attempt to discredit you...you didn't do anything unscrupulous, have you!??!
Trial comes...and Reed commits suicide. They try to canvas the crime scene as good investigators would, but it comes up empty. Spirit Medium has no success...and is really confused how that could happen.
Saxby/Deflt both tell them that they need to lay low with 2 huge cases so close together. They already hate Saxby, which is great....and have a few doubts about Delft, but they are ok with him for the most part.
They don't know what the witchoil was used for, of why Reed had so much of it. Or what he was smuggling. Further, they are now very suspect of Danor. Why were these documents hidden at their consulate...what were they protecting...and why was Reed involved with it? Was it really a secret project for the king??
Overall, they LOVED this mission. Really got the CSI:Risur thing going, and tons of leads to follow up. Also like that what they do matters in the world...one player said "At 4th level, I'd assume we're still killing hobgolbins in some cave for a modest businessman". I'm a little sad they got around the naval battle, aren't using any guns, and aren't really interested in the RHC evidence locker (they didn't use the Malice Rapier...you'd think the rogue would want that!) I have a sheet of all the stuff they brought....and I don't count that against 'uncommon' limit.
Anyway...great stuff. Time to level up! And work on 3rd adventure planning!
We pick up with Creed and two Kell Guild knife fighters (who are actually really brutal) in level 2 of the lab. Reed is unconscious due to shock, and one of players is on the far side cut off by Creed, while the Kells have the other pinned in the control room.
Creed take out the thief PC in two turns, as the rest of the group try to bull rush their way to help her. The Knife fighters are tough, but they use some RHC officers to block a bit, and they end up avoid hits (somehow!).
Our grappler drags a knife fighter to the cat walk, and throws him over, but he saves...and now dangles over the side hanging on to the railing. Creed is easily blinding people with reach, but his pistol shot keeps missing. Curses!
Our healer gets to the thief in time...she failed 2 death saves! She spends a turn using 2nd wind and gets up her strength. Finally Creed is hit by radiant damage, and the thief swoops in and hits with a good attack. A few rounds later, he goes down...the wizard and fighter dealing with the Kell thugs. The final thug asks for mercy once he sees Creed go down.
DM note: My party typically doesn't go for kills...so I had Creed roll off the catwalk into the witchoil. Not sure how you insure his death when the party doesn't want it.
The scene was wrapped up, and Reed taken into custody. The PCs were supposed to fight the dragonborn brother that night...but I felt that it was anti-climatic. They received a letter from Morgan saying the brothers had fled once they heard of the arrest of Reed. However, he provides a note ordering the arson of factories written in Reed's hand to bolster the case.
The PC are getting ready for trial. I actually think they would have enjoyed being cross examined...and hearing a good defense for Reed...it was getting late, though, and I wanted to close out the adventure. They were worried, since I said the defense will attempt to discredit you...you didn't do anything unscrupulous, have you!??!
Trial comes...and Reed commits suicide. They try to canvas the crime scene as good investigators would, but it comes up empty. Spirit Medium has no success...and is really confused how that could happen.
Saxby/Deflt both tell them that they need to lay low with 2 huge cases so close together. They already hate Saxby, which is great....and have a few doubts about Delft, but they are ok with him for the most part.
They don't know what the witchoil was used for, of why Reed had so much of it. Or what he was smuggling. Further, they are now very suspect of Danor. Why were these documents hidden at their consulate...what were they protecting...and why was Reed involved with it? Was it really a secret project for the king??
Overall, they LOVED this mission. Really got the CSI:Risur thing going, and tons of leads to follow up. Also like that what they do matters in the world...one player said "At 4th level, I'd assume we're still killing hobgolbins in some cave for a modest businessman". I'm a little sad they got around the naval battle, aren't using any guns, and aren't really interested in the RHC evidence locker (they didn't use the Malice Rapier...you'd think the rogue would want that!) I have a sheet of all the stuff they brought....and I don't count that against 'uncommon' limit.
Anyway...great stuff. Time to level up! And work on 3rd adventure planning!
Started Digging for Lies
OK...starting Digging for Lies!
Had the PC's level up. Some minor tweaks on powers and equipment. I'm holding on to the level 5 powers until the appropriate time.
The PC's we sad to be taken off the Macbannin case. One of their big questions is...why can we confront the Consular at the Danoran Consulate about being involved with Macbannin. It's a good question, but I sited not enough evidence, international incident, and the king is trying for peace, and this will not go over well with him. It might be a rouge element anyway.
Regardless...they already hate Saxby. HATE HER! Also...they are by the book...every piece of gear they have acquired is in the RHC evidence locker.
So...on to the Expo! Great stuff here. I give them a printout of 'Approved major vendors'...so they could make notes. I gave them a brief description of what they saw/heard as they walked by, and they would either engage or pass by depending on interest. They are concerned about Pemberton Industries! They didn't poke around to notice the witchoil (it will hit if they search for bleak gate energy). On to the stage area, our fighter tried out the Nock gun, and got walloped. He didn't see the usefulness...though they WANT the Badger Gun badly (though they haven't seen the stats, and no one uses guns!). They loved the gnome twins (i played them sort of weirdly).
They explore the rest of the tents, and bump into Rock signing autographs. I have him followed with an entourage of planners and pages, as well as a band that provides his 'theme' music where ever he goes. I'm playing him like Kayne West means James Brown.
And Gidim warbeasts. At first they think Simon is the enemy mage, but I quickly explain that he has his back turned and sounds concerned. They conclude that he is not the enemy. The 3 flying beast were a pretty big problem. With 4 PCs, I did not adjust down...and it wasn't going well for them. The Maw used the burst attack twice, and couldn't get the grab going earlier (it also got dazed). Rock/Kvarity were firing from range. The couldn't break the insubstantial issue. They never hit it with force/psychic when it was insubstantial to see the difference. Still a bit of a mystery.
Anyways...the maw gets dazed, but finally snapped out of it, and grabs the fighter, sucks his thoughts, then action points and eats him for incredible damage. Now the party is worried! And the fighter has Distant Madness and a Mind Scar (Yay!).
Maw gets hit with Magic Missile (Force dmg revealed to work!)...and wouldn't you know Kvarity and Rock go next. And Rock has the kill shot on the maw!!! My PCs were so upset! I was laughing big time, cause it's so great for the story. The cleric was like "can I heal the maw, so I can kill it?" At first they liked Rock cause of his celebrity...but his proclamations of "I'm the new voice of Risur!!" and golden bullets, and now the kill shot (which he'll totally milk)...now they are not pleased.
The PC's cleaned up the flying things, and I quickly lowered their HPs to "two more hits", seeing as their defeat was inevitable. We had the fighter on death saves again...and once he was healed, the party said "Use your javelin!"...and he said he sold it! He picked up a rock, threw it, and missed.
Anyway...it was a great opening scene, and lots of aftermath yet to deal with. The cleric used a burst heal power which ended up saving the young dwarf AND Simon, so major points there. I made a point to have Rock "miss" one of his shots (the stray bullet). The wizard ran up and grabbed the Staff from Simon's hand. He wanted to use it, but he is a wand guy. It's an issue when some of the cool items don't fit with a character...I guess there is a ritual that transfers this out there.
I'm hoping Distant Madness and the mind scar stick around. He could overcome it next rest...and I love the 'do something stupid, but get rewarded' thing. Vulnerable 5 psychic is pretty bad though! They'll be buying resist psychic potions for sure!
Anyways...great start. Excited for old-school Indiana Jones mission...and, the conflict with Saxby has been well planted.
OK...starting Digging for Lies!
Had the PC's level up. Some minor tweaks on powers and equipment. I'm holding on to the level 5 powers until the appropriate time.
The PC's we sad to be taken off the Macbannin case. One of their big questions is...why can we confront the Consular at the Danoran Consulate about being involved with Macbannin. It's a good question, but I sited not enough evidence, international incident, and the king is trying for peace, and this will not go over well with him. It might be a rouge element anyway.
Regardless...they already hate Saxby. HATE HER! Also...they are by the book...every piece of gear they have acquired is in the RHC evidence locker.
So...on to the Expo! Great stuff here. I give them a printout of 'Approved major vendors'...so they could make notes. I gave them a brief description of what they saw/heard as they walked by, and they would either engage or pass by depending on interest. They are concerned about Pemberton Industries! They didn't poke around to notice the witchoil (it will hit if they search for bleak gate energy). On to the stage area, our fighter tried out the Nock gun, and got walloped. He didn't see the usefulness...though they WANT the Badger Gun badly (though they haven't seen the stats, and no one uses guns!). They loved the gnome twins (i played them sort of weirdly).
They explore the rest of the tents, and bump into Rock signing autographs. I have him followed with an entourage of planners and pages, as well as a band that provides his 'theme' music where ever he goes. I'm playing him like Kayne West means James Brown.
And Gidim warbeasts. At first they think Simon is the enemy mage, but I quickly explain that he has his back turned and sounds concerned. They conclude that he is not the enemy. The 3 flying beast were a pretty big problem. With 4 PCs, I did not adjust down...and it wasn't going well for them. The Maw used the burst attack twice, and couldn't get the grab going earlier (it also got dazed). Rock/Kvarity were firing from range. The couldn't break the insubstantial issue. They never hit it with force/psychic when it was insubstantial to see the difference. Still a bit of a mystery.
Anyways...the maw gets dazed, but finally snapped out of it, and grabs the fighter, sucks his thoughts, then action points and eats him for incredible damage. Now the party is worried! And the fighter has Distant Madness and a Mind Scar (Yay!).
Maw gets hit with Magic Missile (Force dmg revealed to work!)...and wouldn't you know Kvarity and Rock go next. And Rock has the kill shot on the maw!!! My PCs were so upset! I was laughing big time, cause it's so great for the story. The cleric was like "can I heal the maw, so I can kill it?" At first they liked Rock cause of his celebrity...but his proclamations of "I'm the new voice of Risur!!" and golden bullets, and now the kill shot (which he'll totally milk)...now they are not pleased.
The PC's cleaned up the flying things, and I quickly lowered their HPs to "two more hits", seeing as their defeat was inevitable. We had the fighter on death saves again...and once he was healed, the party said "Use your javelin!"...and he said he sold it! He picked up a rock, threw it, and missed.
Anyway...it was a great opening scene, and lots of aftermath yet to deal with. The cleric used a burst heal power which ended up saving the young dwarf AND Simon, so major points there. I made a point to have Rock "miss" one of his shots (the stray bullet). The wizard ran up and grabbed the Staff from Simon's hand. He wanted to use it, but he is a wand guy. It's an issue when some of the cool items don't fit with a character...I guess there is a ritual that transfers this out there.
I'm hoping Distant Madness and the mind scar stick around. He could overcome it next rest...and I love the 'do something stupid, but get rewarded' thing. Vulnerable 5 psychic is pretty bad though! They'll be buying resist psychic potions for sure!
Anyways...great start. Excited for old-school Indiana Jones mission...and, the conflict with Saxby has been well planted.
Missed a few updates, I'll be brief.
[Arms fair, and travel to the Ziggurat]
DMs: The slow reveal of the Theme powers at level 5 is a great trick.
OK...So After the arms fair, PC question Simon, Kvartiy, Rock...everyone. They get the lead on the Trinket stand. They go for the false buyer routine, and get the meetup scheduled.
They go...and when Kaja tells them the price, our fake arms-dealer say they don't have the money...and well Kaja get spooked...and Combat. Great set piece here. They capture her, and she says she was working for MacBannin. Back at RHC, delft suggest talking to someone at the museum about the artifacts.
PC's investigate the shattered Golem, which is left open-ended.
A PC uses his HUGE heal skill to cure the fighters Distant Madness. DMs: Using heal in this way really makes Distant Madness lose its teeth. My cleric needed a 3, BEFORE any 'aid another' checks. I don't really know how/if I should rule against this. I tentatively ruled that he would still have a 'mind scar'...if I presented the opportunity to hum
NEXT SESSION
All RP session. PCs go to talk to Hans at the University. They HATE the fact that he has rights to the artifacts, and the PCs are contesting that. Since 'they are being used in an investigation'. well, Hans says he needs them for the gala at the end of the month. Mentions Xambria and her story. PCs talk to her and they are sympathetic. They picked up on the skittishness and see that she's traumatized. So far, no issue...but got a bit curious when she didn't know too many details, didn't have her journal...and refused to accompany them to the dig. Oh well, she was helpful enough with direction.
They track down Caius. They do a ruse where they pretend to be affluent art collections and loudly speak of the artifacts that were found. Caius doesn't really care. they finally confront him, he laughs at them as says to hire better actors. They ask him if he know Kaja/Macabannin he says no, but the PCs know he's lying (PC with 25+Insight). they can't really do anything so they leave.
They level up. As discussed in another thread, gear are favors...but I didn't play it that way. They got a limited upgrade...but some "normal" magic items (Boots of stealth), and that was that. Off to Zigguraut.
NEXT SESSION
"Fully equipped"! PCs also brought along 4 red shirt officers. They will come up HUGE! They arrive at the Zig, and a few PCs are down a surge with the endurance checks (I didn't bother with random encounter). DMs: I didn't love all the rolls here. I asked for one Nature check to determine if the group would roll 3 or 4 Endurance checks. After that, each one was framed differently: Bugs/Insects, Anxiety of keeping watch, pure fatigue.
They see the Zig, and it's a 30 vs. Will for all hits on Distant Madness! They are scared. It's evening...and now they are considering an extended rest. Wimps! Well, they make camp inside the first room...and another Will attack comes (all misses). Uh oh! They make camp again OUTSIDE the Zig...another attack (all miss). So they retreat 100ft and get out of the aura and make camp. Well...I asked for an endurance check for the nights sleep (they made zero attempts to improve their camp site)...two failed. They roll the clerics huge Heal Check...again, he basically auto passes, so everyone clears. They see the Zig in the morning again...I roll another 30. A Wasted day, and they are basically back to where they started!
DMs: Again with the Heal check on Distant Madness! Not too upset, as they'll get hit hard here, plus it's only 4 of them. But be aware they want to make camp. Make it a painful choice...
In the first room...they see the Ancients, and immediately decide to chop off their heads! They are paranoid, which i guess is good! A Hand of Fate ritual doesn't seem to help (I direct them to the rainbow room)...so they go that way. Battle starts after they start pressing stones. First Burst attack by the Orbs Hits most PCs and KILLS ALL THE ALLIED SOLDIERS! HA! They will be remembered for their bravery! We stopped mid-battle due to time.
DMs: They all advanced through the curtain. I left out the description of the enemies...and after they turned hit the second stone..the curtain turns solid...and the enemies appear. I think that's better. Had the run the room in Photoshop, and it's a pain with the bridges and walls!
Great stuff. And I'm planing on triggering the end trap no matter what for effect.
[Arms fair, and travel to the Ziggurat]
DMs: The slow reveal of the Theme powers at level 5 is a great trick.
OK...So After the arms fair, PC question Simon, Kvartiy, Rock...everyone. They get the lead on the Trinket stand. They go for the false buyer routine, and get the meetup scheduled.
They go...and when Kaja tells them the price, our fake arms-dealer say they don't have the money...and well Kaja get spooked...and Combat. Great set piece here. They capture her, and she says she was working for MacBannin. Back at RHC, delft suggest talking to someone at the museum about the artifacts.
PC's investigate the shattered Golem, which is left open-ended.
A PC uses his HUGE heal skill to cure the fighters Distant Madness. DMs: Using heal in this way really makes Distant Madness lose its teeth. My cleric needed a 3, BEFORE any 'aid another' checks. I don't really know how/if I should rule against this. I tentatively ruled that he would still have a 'mind scar'...if I presented the opportunity to hum
NEXT SESSION
All RP session. PCs go to talk to Hans at the University. They HATE the fact that he has rights to the artifacts, and the PCs are contesting that. Since 'they are being used in an investigation'. well, Hans says he needs them for the gala at the end of the month. Mentions Xambria and her story. PCs talk to her and they are sympathetic. They picked up on the skittishness and see that she's traumatized. So far, no issue...but got a bit curious when she didn't know too many details, didn't have her journal...and refused to accompany them to the dig. Oh well, she was helpful enough with direction.
They track down Caius. They do a ruse where they pretend to be affluent art collections and loudly speak of the artifacts that were found. Caius doesn't really care. they finally confront him, he laughs at them as says to hire better actors. They ask him if he know Kaja/Macabannin he says no, but the PCs know he's lying (PC with 25+Insight). they can't really do anything so they leave.
They level up. As discussed in another thread, gear are favors...but I didn't play it that way. They got a limited upgrade...but some "normal" magic items (Boots of stealth), and that was that. Off to Zigguraut.
NEXT SESSION
"Fully equipped"! PCs also brought along 4 red shirt officers. They will come up HUGE! They arrive at the Zig, and a few PCs are down a surge with the endurance checks (I didn't bother with random encounter). DMs: I didn't love all the rolls here. I asked for one Nature check to determine if the group would roll 3 or 4 Endurance checks. After that, each one was framed differently: Bugs/Insects, Anxiety of keeping watch, pure fatigue.
They see the Zig, and it's a 30 vs. Will for all hits on Distant Madness! They are scared. It's evening...and now they are considering an extended rest. Wimps! Well, they make camp inside the first room...and another Will attack comes (all misses). Uh oh! They make camp again OUTSIDE the Zig...another attack (all miss). So they retreat 100ft and get out of the aura and make camp. Well...I asked for an endurance check for the nights sleep (they made zero attempts to improve their camp site)...two failed. They roll the clerics huge Heal Check...again, he basically auto passes, so everyone clears. They see the Zig in the morning again...I roll another 30. A Wasted day, and they are basically back to where they started!
DMs: Again with the Heal check on Distant Madness! Not too upset, as they'll get hit hard here, plus it's only 4 of them. But be aware they want to make camp. Make it a painful choice...
In the first room...they see the Ancients, and immediately decide to chop off their heads! They are paranoid, which i guess is good! A Hand of Fate ritual doesn't seem to help (I direct them to the rainbow room)...so they go that way. Battle starts after they start pressing stones. First Burst attack by the Orbs Hits most PCs and KILLS ALL THE ALLIED SOLDIERS! HA! They will be remembered for their bravery! We stopped mid-battle due to time.
DMs: They all advanced through the curtain. I left out the description of the enemies...and after they turned hit the second stone..the curtain turns solid...and the enemies appear. I think that's better. Had the run the room in Photoshop, and it's a pain with the bridges and walls!
Great stuff. And I'm planing on triggering the end trap no matter what for effect.
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We continue!
Finishing up the rainbow room.
DMs...note that the corners of the side platforms are walls...this helps the orbs hide from ranged attacks. Made it tough for my PC's. Also...I tended to keep forgetting about some characters Distant Madness penalties. Make sure you can keep track of it - they won't remind you!
Anyway - they had a tough fight, but killed the orbs...finished the puzzle. The few implanters (i only had 2 there) trapped in the veils didn't pose a threat. White stone pushed, and vision granted. Good stuff. Also...I tended to keep forgetting about some characters Distant Madness penalities. Make sure you can keep track of it
To the map room...where the add the light, and see the two spots on the map. They didn't really know what that meant, but it will come to them soon.
To the false seal room...nothing really to do here. They exclaimed that this must be where it got removed. The made the connection later to Mashiva and the water trap (coming).
They went due east and missed the flaming pillar...to the main seal room. They did some poking around...and got a bit skittish when I told them the eyes were following them. They inspected the seal (though they didn't seem to get that it was a false seal) and I triggered the trap. DMs: Now, they beheaded the 3 Ancient Orcs in Room 1, so a handful of minions here isn't going to be the epic battle for the day that I wanted. I changed the minions to be Buff Minions. 1st hit will grant CA, 2nd hit will Kill. If the first hit does more than 18dmg, then it's a kill (and feel free to change the #). I want them to use every trick here, and simple AC 18 minions ain't gonna do it. The free resurrection here means I can totally go for it! And also...trigger this trap no matter what!
So, a few rounds of combat, but I had 2 harriers come in from the top to mess with them. At the exact same time, some ankle deep water just crossed the threshold of the room. UH OH! We stopped here, and an excellent cliffhanger.
Finishing up the rainbow room.
DMs...note that the corners of the side platforms are walls...this helps the orbs hide from ranged attacks. Made it tough for my PC's. Also...I tended to keep forgetting about some characters Distant Madness penalties. Make sure you can keep track of it - they won't remind you!
Anyway - they had a tough fight, but killed the orbs...finished the puzzle. The few implanters (i only had 2 there) trapped in the veils didn't pose a threat. White stone pushed, and vision granted. Good stuff. Also...I tended to keep forgetting about some characters Distant Madness penalities. Make sure you can keep track of it
To the map room...where the add the light, and see the two spots on the map. They didn't really know what that meant, but it will come to them soon.
To the false seal room...nothing really to do here. They exclaimed that this must be where it got removed. The made the connection later to Mashiva and the water trap (coming).
They went due east and missed the flaming pillar...to the main seal room. They did some poking around...and got a bit skittish when I told them the eyes were following them. They inspected the seal (though they didn't seem to get that it was a false seal) and I triggered the trap. DMs: Now, they beheaded the 3 Ancient Orcs in Room 1, so a handful of minions here isn't going to be the epic battle for the day that I wanted. I changed the minions to be Buff Minions. 1st hit will grant CA, 2nd hit will Kill. If the first hit does more than 18dmg, then it's a kill (and feel free to change the #). I want them to use every trick here, and simple AC 18 minions ain't gonna do it. The free resurrection here means I can totally go for it! And also...trigger this trap no matter what!
So, a few rounds of combat, but I had 2 harriers come in from the top to mess with them. At the exact same time, some ankle deep water just crossed the threshold of the room. UH OH! We stopped here, and an excellent cliffhanger.
Been awhile since I updated. Here are a few session's worth.
Sprinting out of the ziggurat!
Since I buffed up the minions and forced the toxic flood trap, this set piece actually got very challenging. In the sliding floor room, 3 PCs made it out, but the wizard was surrounded the water made it tough to move around and get him. It was almost a very classic "Save Yourselves!" moment, but they were able to make a whole, and the wizard survived a bunch of AoOs move to the next room and stay ahead of the water. A few skirmishes in the later halls happened, but the PCs breathed a huge sigh of relief when they made it to the initial chamber and up the stairs. Good thing they beheaded the orc mummies as they came in!!!
Voice of Rot shows up, and resurrects their fallen Allied Soldiers. Good effect. They track the Apet energy back through the towns and trains and boats back to Flint where they lose the trail.
Next Session:
They go back to the museum and break into Xambria's apartment. They see signs of a struggle, but no sign of her. They track down Caius, and see his murder. They see the map, take the scrolls and money and decided that's where they are going next. That night, our Yerasol Vet goes to a party, and is chatting with Nigel about a possible promotion. He turns it down! Nigel insists anyway on providing some support on their expedition, since they don't want a popular hero killed.
So they head to the underwater site in their ship, The Question Marque. They meet up with Xambria and Paco, and are kinda confused as to what is going on. But they trust Xambria, and understand that they need to stop the dig. The plan is to use the water breathing scrolls, and swim from distance.
Next Session:
A tough battle with the octopi and sharks and what not. It was a good battle, and interesting with the water/air environments. The Allied Officers were actually doing a great job, sniping at enemies from distance. When a dead shark flops on the ward, the element breaks loose. Our wizard slaps a fireball on the fishmen...and all 8 die instantly! Wow! Finona helps out with the elemental, and they close the seal. However, the mercenary ship sunk The Question Marque. In exchange for no charges (as Finona claims she was just protecting her dig, and this is Beran waters, not Risuri), she'll given them a lift back to Flint. She explains her relationship with Caius...and it seems like she's been on many digs, knows their connected...but doesn't believe it's anything nefarious. They notice her ring...and don't know what it means. During the voyage home, a commotion in the middle of the night awakens them...
Next Session:
The ship is attack by hydras and slime monsters! [DMs: This encounter was a cakewalk as written, even with only 3PCs with an extended rest. Maybe I wasn't playing the hydras right, but nothing was a threat. I'd say make the slime walkers explode with burst 1 from the get go. It might have gotten much more crazy if the hydras would drag a PC of the boat, but that didn't happen for me.]
In the aftermath, they go below deck and find Finona and her remaining bodyguard dead, with their brains eaten. The PCs freak out. The spirit medium talks with Finona, says pretty much the same things, but she didn't not see her attacker. Then shouts above deck alert them to a fire on The Dagger...and when they swing by, they see burned bodies, and no one in the water. No sign of Xambria.
Back in Flint, they meet up with Delft/Hans at the museum...and they exchange news. They see the odd note from Xambra...they now suspect her being possessed. The PCs do not want the gala to go on and say they have the authority to stop it...but Delft says there is too much investment in this. The compromise is that they'll work security, Hans can show 2 of 3 artifacts...our rogue will continue to wear the amulet. Hans agrees...but says that later in the week, he'll want to show of the amulet at some point. Ok.
Back at RHC, the meeting with Saxby goes great (as far as an RP scene). All PCs HATE Saxby! She has a slew of charges, the most damning being the murder of a saddlemaker and a payoff by Lorcan Kell. Our rogue denies it and says she'd never be that sloppy! A formal investigation will be conducted, and Delft posts bail...and will try to delay the trial for as long as possible. Amazingly, they haven't been hiding any gear. A few scrolls and potions they have kept along the way haven't raised any concerns.
It's the first they've heard of the Obsurati, and not sure what the hell is going on...but we are nearing the climax. The Rock Rackus thread is still unresolved. They now know he was on a dig with Finona (he's currently in jail). Our Vekeshi has missed the last few sessions, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do about him...but the team will likely talk to him next time.
I leveled them up when they got back to Flint...on the boat back didn't seem right, but it will be a short level 7! I told them only Common items for gear...and PCs wants a Hippogriff. I said no....mostly because I don't want to deal with it! But also, they'll have really no use of it.
Till next time!
Sprinting out of the ziggurat!
Since I buffed up the minions and forced the toxic flood trap, this set piece actually got very challenging. In the sliding floor room, 3 PCs made it out, but the wizard was surrounded the water made it tough to move around and get him. It was almost a very classic "Save Yourselves!" moment, but they were able to make a whole, and the wizard survived a bunch of AoOs move to the next room and stay ahead of the water. A few skirmishes in the later halls happened, but the PCs breathed a huge sigh of relief when they made it to the initial chamber and up the stairs. Good thing they beheaded the orc mummies as they came in!!!
Voice of Rot shows up, and resurrects their fallen Allied Soldiers. Good effect. They track the Apet energy back through the towns and trains and boats back to Flint where they lose the trail.
Next Session:
They go back to the museum and break into Xambria's apartment. They see signs of a struggle, but no sign of her. They track down Caius, and see his murder. They see the map, take the scrolls and money and decided that's where they are going next. That night, our Yerasol Vet goes to a party, and is chatting with Nigel about a possible promotion. He turns it down! Nigel insists anyway on providing some support on their expedition, since they don't want a popular hero killed.
So they head to the underwater site in their ship, The Question Marque. They meet up with Xambria and Paco, and are kinda confused as to what is going on. But they trust Xambria, and understand that they need to stop the dig. The plan is to use the water breathing scrolls, and swim from distance.
Next Session:
A tough battle with the octopi and sharks and what not. It was a good battle, and interesting with the water/air environments. The Allied Officers were actually doing a great job, sniping at enemies from distance. When a dead shark flops on the ward, the element breaks loose. Our wizard slaps a fireball on the fishmen...and all 8 die instantly! Wow! Finona helps out with the elemental, and they close the seal. However, the mercenary ship sunk The Question Marque. In exchange for no charges (as Finona claims she was just protecting her dig, and this is Beran waters, not Risuri), she'll given them a lift back to Flint. She explains her relationship with Caius...and it seems like she's been on many digs, knows their connected...but doesn't believe it's anything nefarious. They notice her ring...and don't know what it means. During the voyage home, a commotion in the middle of the night awakens them...
Next Session:
The ship is attack by hydras and slime monsters! [DMs: This encounter was a cakewalk as written, even with only 3PCs with an extended rest. Maybe I wasn't playing the hydras right, but nothing was a threat. I'd say make the slime walkers explode with burst 1 from the get go. It might have gotten much more crazy if the hydras would drag a PC of the boat, but that didn't happen for me.]
In the aftermath, they go below deck and find Finona and her remaining bodyguard dead, with their brains eaten. The PCs freak out. The spirit medium talks with Finona, says pretty much the same things, but she didn't not see her attacker. Then shouts above deck alert them to a fire on The Dagger...and when they swing by, they see burned bodies, and no one in the water. No sign of Xambria.
Back in Flint, they meet up with Delft/Hans at the museum...and they exchange news. They see the odd note from Xambra...they now suspect her being possessed. The PCs do not want the gala to go on and say they have the authority to stop it...but Delft says there is too much investment in this. The compromise is that they'll work security, Hans can show 2 of 3 artifacts...our rogue will continue to wear the amulet. Hans agrees...but says that later in the week, he'll want to show of the amulet at some point. Ok.
Back at RHC, the meeting with Saxby goes great (as far as an RP scene). All PCs HATE Saxby! She has a slew of charges, the most damning being the murder of a saddlemaker and a payoff by Lorcan Kell. Our rogue denies it and says she'd never be that sloppy! A formal investigation will be conducted, and Delft posts bail...and will try to delay the trial for as long as possible. Amazingly, they haven't been hiding any gear. A few scrolls and potions they have kept along the way haven't raised any concerns.
It's the first they've heard of the Obsurati, and not sure what the hell is going on...but we are nearing the climax. The Rock Rackus thread is still unresolved. They now know he was on a dig with Finona (he's currently in jail). Our Vekeshi has missed the last few sessions, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do about him...but the team will likely talk to him next time.
I leveled them up when they got back to Flint...on the boat back didn't seem right, but it will be a short level 7! I told them only Common items for gear...and PCs wants a Hippogriff. I said no....mostly because I don't want to deal with it! But also, they'll have really no use of it.
Till next time!
RangerWickett
Legend
Glad to hear the game is still going, and that some parties still manage to get duped by Xambria.
There are no hippogriffs in the world. No winged creature larger than an albatross has been able to fly for about 200 years, so barring some eccentric breeding programs to keep these landbound critters alive, they've all gone extinct.
There are no hippogriffs in the world. No winged creature larger than an albatross has been able to fly for about 200 years, so barring some eccentric breeding programs to keep these landbound critters alive, they've all gone extinct.
Session last night (Museum Fight).
I have Delft give them Pistols. Only two of them can really use it - since the Cleric and Wizard don't have the skills. I upgraded the pistol to: No brutal, but 1d6+2 extra dice, and high crit x2. The rogue will use it, the fighter has a +7 to hit, when his normal is +10...so even with the extra damage, I don't know if I'll ever see them pulled out. For the magic users - this is like just a badge or something.
Prior, the PCs talk to Rock Rackus. I do my best Kayne impersonation. They basically think this guy is a d-bag and full of crap. A player says "Why are we talking to this loser?!". The Vekeshi is still not in the party, so they don't really know what to do with him. He offers them a chance for crazy loot, but the party isn't interested. Plus, they are playing by the book since they got reamed out by Saxby. Anyways...I figure his trial will be soon, and he will be acquitted, either because of the jury...or because he actually had the kill shot on the Worm Maw at the Arms fair.
So, off to the museum. The PCs take preps. Decide to lock all doors, except the front. Cast two rituals, Eye of alarm, and magic Circle around the artifacts.
So Xambria attacks...and the PCs are honestly like "Whaaa? Didn't she die in the fire on the Dagger?" Totally blind sided! Then the Gidim attack...and we have combat.
DMs: Honestly, mostly due to excellent tactics by the PCs, the scene was easy - even with 3 PCs, and I didn't adjust anything. Xambria got bloodied very quickly, and had to fudge it for a round or two, just so there was some tension. All of the PCs got within the magic circle, which was preventing any aberrant creature from entering or attacking lower than 10th level...but they could attack through it. I ruled the the monsters didn't know any better, and were attracted to the PCs more than the fleeing bystanders and just hung around the circle...getting picked off. Perhaps, I handled this badly...or should have been more aggressive with bystanders...but their good ritual worked brilliantly - I didn't want to penalized for good thinking. I ended the encounter early, saying you could just pick these guys off. Advice: Round 1, pull out all stops. Action point, encounter, etc. Leave nothing back, you may not get to use any of it! Perhaps I should have had the monsters beeline for the civilians, and then the PCs would watch them suffer from the protection of their circle, but - I think I got a bit lazy here. It was really hot in their living room, and I was sweating!1
Sure, some civilians got distant madness, but that was going to happen anyway. That's fine, they burned a daily or two...and they take care of Xambria, and bring her back to RHC as planned.
She goes into her speech, and we stopped there and will continue in August. Our group again was totally surprised! Saxby and Macbannin...oh crap! Wait, Xambria just duped us! I have to change her speech a bit. DMs: I don't like that the kill squad comes in the basement. They know about iron rings...I feel it's a bit cheap to have assassins keep teleporting into the RHC. But maybe they just Passwalled from the rail tunnel.
Excited for the final scene - hopefully we'll get our wizard back. Not sure about the Saxby encounter...do her bodyguards attack the PCs...otherwise, would they just let her leave?
Might have to post this somewhere else, but: Do you think Xambria's Boon is TOO good for just one character to have? How have other DMs balanced this, or made other PCs not feel undervalued/powered?
I have Delft give them Pistols. Only two of them can really use it - since the Cleric and Wizard don't have the skills. I upgraded the pistol to: No brutal, but 1d6+2 extra dice, and high crit x2. The rogue will use it, the fighter has a +7 to hit, when his normal is +10...so even with the extra damage, I don't know if I'll ever see them pulled out. For the magic users - this is like just a badge or something.
Prior, the PCs talk to Rock Rackus. I do my best Kayne impersonation. They basically think this guy is a d-bag and full of crap. A player says "Why are we talking to this loser?!". The Vekeshi is still not in the party, so they don't really know what to do with him. He offers them a chance for crazy loot, but the party isn't interested. Plus, they are playing by the book since they got reamed out by Saxby. Anyways...I figure his trial will be soon, and he will be acquitted, either because of the jury...or because he actually had the kill shot on the Worm Maw at the Arms fair.
So, off to the museum. The PCs take preps. Decide to lock all doors, except the front. Cast two rituals, Eye of alarm, and magic Circle around the artifacts.
So Xambria attacks...and the PCs are honestly like "Whaaa? Didn't she die in the fire on the Dagger?" Totally blind sided! Then the Gidim attack...and we have combat.
DMs: Honestly, mostly due to excellent tactics by the PCs, the scene was easy - even with 3 PCs, and I didn't adjust anything. Xambria got bloodied very quickly, and had to fudge it for a round or two, just so there was some tension. All of the PCs got within the magic circle, which was preventing any aberrant creature from entering or attacking lower than 10th level...but they could attack through it. I ruled the the monsters didn't know any better, and were attracted to the PCs more than the fleeing bystanders and just hung around the circle...getting picked off. Perhaps, I handled this badly...or should have been more aggressive with bystanders...but their good ritual worked brilliantly - I didn't want to penalized for good thinking. I ended the encounter early, saying you could just pick these guys off. Advice: Round 1, pull out all stops. Action point, encounter, etc. Leave nothing back, you may not get to use any of it! Perhaps I should have had the monsters beeline for the civilians, and then the PCs would watch them suffer from the protection of their circle, but - I think I got a bit lazy here. It was really hot in their living room, and I was sweating!1
Sure, some civilians got distant madness, but that was going to happen anyway. That's fine, they burned a daily or two...and they take care of Xambria, and bring her back to RHC as planned.
She goes into her speech, and we stopped there and will continue in August. Our group again was totally surprised! Saxby and Macbannin...oh crap! Wait, Xambria just duped us! I have to change her speech a bit. DMs: I don't like that the kill squad comes in the basement. They know about iron rings...I feel it's a bit cheap to have assassins keep teleporting into the RHC. But maybe they just Passwalled from the rail tunnel.
Excited for the final scene - hopefully we'll get our wizard back. Not sure about the Saxby encounter...do her bodyguards attack the PCs...otherwise, would they just let her leave?
Might have to post this somewhere else, but: Do you think Xambria's Boon is TOO good for just one character to have? How have other DMs balanced this, or made other PCs not feel undervalued/powered?
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