Attack on Myth Drannor/City of the Spider Queen - Raising the Difficulty Level

[Barendd Nobeard]

OK, here is some of the advice I got for ramping up CotSQ. My problem was a power-gamer run amok, so these keep that context in mind when reading these. A lot of these were specific fixes for specific problems. I especially like plot twist (g) below.

These are from the Creative Mountain Games old forums; I'm not sure if Lord Greywolf posts here at EN World or not, but I think he does.

4) Here is the good stuff:

a) Controlling others - you can only control as many other "people" total HD as you have in HD - every type of control is that way - from the clerics controling undead to the Blackguard and others. The major exception is Druids that can have twice as many HD as them - BUT can obly efectively control 1/2 HD of them!!!!!! Also search the Errata and Faq files on it - might bemore there!

b) Make "new" but simular monsters - i.e. - monster xxx does temp str drain and has a golden fur covering, monster xxxmin1 hoes dex drain and has brown fur
Or they are fire subtype instead of cold subtype - and look a redish purple instead of blue, etc

c) takes more time - but use eTools to design your monsters up using the character generator - this way you can specialize feats and skills - I made a green dragon once that took weapon prof rapier - and had a BIG rapier he used instead of a claw - it made for a little more of a challange. Or other feats like weapon focus clas, improved crit claw (have to do crit ranges by hand though - eTools is "whacked on that right now), etc
you get the idea on that

d) remember the cohort does share in XP!!!!!! the other players may want him gone for that reason! Leadership does not help with dominate - thise are "loyal" followers, not dominated people

e) Read thoughts - unless they know the players are there - the thoughts would be meaningless thoughts - *lunch yesterday was good*, etc - also if in a language he does not know - he would not understand - it does not translate!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also - that is line of sight! If he does not see them - he can not read them!

f) While dominating - it is a standard action to command 1 person of what to do - so he can only give 1 command per round and to only 1 person. They must also be simple and remember to do "as he says" - if he says - kill all enemies - it will attack him - he is his enemy
If he says kill all of my enemies - it will walk away and go and try to kill his boyhood enemy!
He needs to be presise and simple in what he says - and if it is contray to what they would normaly do - they get a new save
kill thet person over there - well that person is his best friend - so he would not kill him - new save!, etc

g) Equip the monsters with intelegent magical weapons!!!!
This serves 3 purposes:
1) You can make some very nice and powerful weapons - be good to yourself with them (make sure to use the special purpose - to defend a race or diety - LOLTH) and to set the egos at above 32 - he he
2) The players can not use the weapons afterwards - with out beating the ego - if they fail - they would attack party members because they are enemies of Lolth (see above)
3) Can not sell them except to a temple or followers of Lolth - try to find them with out them killing you just to get them for free

That should be enough for you or anybody else for now to help them out with that!!!!!

 

[Henry]

Why is it that Phaerimm are only described as TPKs or run away situations only in the module but the Monsters of Phaerun lists them as CR 5?

Because 3E toned down the default Phaerimm enormously. In TSR1084 supplement Ruins of Myth Drannor (available at RPGNow.com and I HIGHLY recommend it for info on Myth Drannor "flavor") Phaerimm were on AVERAGE 9 hit dice creatures, and were 30th to 36th level spell casters by 2nd edition AD&D charts. They got a little weaker.

Which I will manipulate to make it Shandakul, making it work with the Cleric of the party.

Actually, there is a haunted temple to Shaundakul in Myth drannor, known as Shaundakul's throne. From Ruins of Myth Drannor:

...a still-splendid building rises on the other side of that rubble [the rubble of the Street of the Evening Star in Myth Drannor], its empty windows still staring down the length of the street.
This is Shaundakul's Throne, the chief remaining temple of a demipower once worshipped by men in the Moonsea North. Shaundakul, rider of the winds, is detailed elsewhere in this sourcebook. His temple consists of two towers linked by walls forming an enclosed courtyard, to a large central building containing an undercroft where the clergy lived, and a huge dais (the throne itself), open to the sky, where the demigod was worshipped. Here, some very dangerous beings known as "windghosts", servants of the god, still guard their Master's place of veneration - and seem able, Elminster warns, to move a magic-dead area about to encompass intruders, and render them easy prey.

If that doesn't make you want to go visit and Download that PDF, nothing will. Great source if you ever plan Myth Drannor to play an extended part in your game. Be warned - some of this material, being from about 1993 or so, may have been invalidated by later sources - but then, it's your game, so you know what to do.

Now that's gonna take some work ... but definitely sounds like what I need. Anyone got some adventurers of lower level (higher level adventurers always make the party feel intimidated and lead to fights; lower level makes for roleplaying) that I can rip off?

If you can beg/borrow/procure a 3.0 Dungeon Master's guide, you will have the NPC charts in there, and all the pre-gen's you need. also, Jamis Buck's Character Generators are also hosted from ENWorld, I think... aha! http://www.enworld.org/forums/local_links.php?action=jump&id=291

This NPC generator is fast and easy to use. It's not always 100% accurate when it comes to prerequisites for feats, etc. but then, it doesn't have to be, necessarily - your players will never see every last skill point allocation, and it doesn't turn out anything like a 3rd level fighter with 14 feats, or anything like that - it's usually about 95% accurate.

Hope no one minds me making this the mental extension of my game forum.

That's what we're here for. We used to have a specific forum just for "help me with my plot" threads, but it got so little traffic we merged it into General. Assistance traffic has picked up considerably since then.

 

[Mark Causey]

In ... Ruins of Myth Drannor ... Phaerimm were on AVERAGE 9 hit dice creatures, and were 30th to 36th level spell casters by 2nd edition AD&D charts. They got a little weaker.

I need them to be badass. I will make them to be the badass. The only thing the characters know about the denizens of Myth Drannor is that they're what can survive cohabitation with the Destroyers of the Great Aunarochian forest. Thus, I intend to make every encounter almost a fight for their lives. The worst thing: I'm going to make them come back from time to time!

Actually, there is a haunted temple to Shaundakul in Myth drannor, known as Shaundakul's throne.

The player and I have been searching for something about that for time eternal it seems. Now I have some answers. Downloading will occur.

Eventually, seeing as the ultimate goal of some of the players seems to be extraplanar, I have a good idea for what Shandakul's Throne actually is ...

AtR

P.S. Would anyone like a Story Hour of this?

 

[Henry]

...Thus, I intend to make every encounter almost a fight for their lives. The worst thing: I'm going to make them come back from time to time!

When you buy that Ruins of Myth Drannor PDF, you'll find the following quote:

The adventurer Steelshorn of Selgaunt's favorite tavern-tale is that of hacking his way through the many heads of a hydra that grew new ones as fast as he could chop, only to look up and see 6 gargoyles, an owlbear, 2 ettins, 3 spinagon baatezu (devils), and a small band of hobgoblins converging on his band, all eager for sport before turning on each other!

(I love that quote.) It is good to make the place dangerous, but I would suggest that you always remember to (A) give the party a direction to flee in, and (B) remember that it's not just the party's blood the denizens want, but each others' as well. Make the place look like LA during the Rodney King riots, except with scales, wings, swords, and fangs.

Eventually, seeing as the ultimate goal of some of the players seems to be extraplanar, I have a good idea for what Shandakul's Throne actually is ...

Another point about the mythology of Myth Drannor - that whole city is extrapalanar swiss cheese! (it's in the sourcebook). This should go well for you... Good luck!

 

[Mark Causey]

Another point about the mythology of Myth Drannor - that whole city is extrapalanar swiss cheese! (it's in the sourcebook). This should go well for you... Good luck!

Excellent....

AtR

 

[Mark Causey]

Man, that Ripple chart from the old Myth Drannor set came in *real* handy.

I told the characters through an NPC: Magic is affected immensely in Myth Drannor. The wizard in the group made a Knowledge: Arcana check and determined that the main types that were affected were scrying-type spells and teleportation spells. He told this to the group.

Before he scryed on one of his party members.

Later on, the Travel cleric cast Dimension Door.

Oooh yeah, it felt good to confuse someone for 3d4 days, and disable magical items for 1d4 hours at at time.

And the best part is, no one got really upset. They chalked it up as the danger level of Myth Drannor.

AtR

 

[Henry]

Myth Drannor is a fun place to adventure. I hope my FR group (currently on hiatus) one day grow the brass... er, bold enough to adventure there.

 

[Cassius_the_Elf]

I have played a PC on both those adventures, and believe me they are both pretty tough without worrying too much about making them harder!.

We were a party of 3 adventurers on both, so are higher level than the adventure is set and we still get hurt badly.

If you are worried then I would just harry the party more often than you might and that will make it harder. Just don't give them as much time to rest as they would like and make them conserve their spells a little. Or let them rest and give a % chance that some of them don't get their spells back, or just hit them with spells from afar. Hassle them to make Myth Drannor seem a terrifying place.

I suppose there are a few points were you could split the party for some time, maybe make them do the 2 of the 'tombs' simultaneously? I suppose you could add a level or two to the main spellcasters and the big encounters if they walk the first one.

The Alhoon itself is a serious party beater.

 

[Cassius_the_Elf]

........... And don't get me started on CotSQ!

That is really hard especially at the very end (where we are now). A serious grinder that I thought we would walk being roughly about ECL 15 at the start. Lots of (quite boring) combats but numerous death posibilities everywhere.

The Kuo-Toa seemed to be underpowered, everything else seemes tough enough.

It may just be because we are 3, and because we are drow we don't have a cleric. Just ranger levels and healing wands/items. This has made the undead a world more scary without restoration spells (or turning or any of the other good cleric stuff.) The last tower is no place for the faint hearted anyway!

 

[Taren Seeker]

The Knights of the Shadow Sword also operate in/around Myth Drannor, an elite order of Shaundakulan Rangers and warrior/Windwalkers.

The Temple was actually the seat of Shaundakul's Power on Faerun which is why after the Fall he was so reduced in power. The Knights work towards reclaiming the area and restoring the temple so that Shaundakul may regain his former glory. I believe that they actually hold a small portion of the ruined Temple and stage raids and patrols out of there.

IIRC there is also a Fey'Ri enclave in Myth...think I read it in the Cloak and Dagger supplement. They are descendants of one of the fallen houses of Gold Elves.

Re: the Phaerimm: remember that only the commoner PH are CR 5, most have a lot of class levels in Sorcerer and the like.