Changes for the Sake of the Campaign

[Bruize]

I saw a post from the DM of the Korrigan & Company campaign detailing some of the changes that he'd made for his players and it inspired me to make this post with the changes I've had to make to keep things moving along.

First off, I want to point out that these changes/additions are largely due to Player Interference or Needs. I really do like this campaign and the setting as a whole. The players, at times during this module expressed their great confusion but as things are falling into place towards the end of the module, they are really getting into it again. They did the same with Dying Skyseer too.

The first and largest change isn't really story related, but rather mechanics related. When 2 players' characters died in combat, I introduced an npc as a Deus ex Machina type mechanic but designed so that players absolutely do NOT want to resort to it. Her name is Magtheda and she is labeled as "The Dark Witch." She was originally introduced as a dwarf but has since become a shapechanger through blood rituals. She primarily deals with blood magic and has her fingers in many pies. Her intercession at Delft's request has put the entire team in her debt which she calls in from time to time.

Ritual casting is the second mechanic I needed to address. I thought about just giving players a magic item for the detect planar energies ritual but they really needed a ritual caster for some things so with that in mind, I had Magtheda give each PC a mark that grants them access to 1 new ritual (of my choosing) every two levels and also allows them to cast rituals from a book or scroll as long as the key skill is the same as their highest skill bonus. The "random" rituals are also keyed to their highest skill(s) when possible. This was only necessary because the players didn't want to waste a feat on ritual casting.

Thelma Grimesly came about because the players killed Thames Grimesly between Axis and Skyseer on a side mission. She is Thame's twin sister and the local Dockmaster. She is going to take Thame's place in our campaign going forward. The Dockmaster position was just a nameless npc that I needed when the players wanted to question someone about boats having left the docks recently...so I killed 2 birds with 1 stone.

Delft isn't human in my campaign. In a brief moment of insanity, I took advantage of my players' vulnerabilities and made Delft confess that he was actually the grandfather of the party's Changeling Rogue leader. This hasn't changed his overall personality much. He is still somewhat short and too the point but not quite as abrasive as I mage him at first. He's still extremely paranoid about shapeshifters (dopplegangers in specific). In a session some time later, the players learn that Delft and Magtheda had a short fling...which helps strengthen his paranoia about shapechangers in general.

The Technologist Theme had a very minor distinction. The contraption acts as a Sentinel Druid's animal companion mechanically. I believe there is a very small distinction between that and the ranger version. I'm toying with the idea of giving it a minor aura at lvl 10 as well. My players are still a few levels off so it isn't important yet. I also ruled that the contraption can be affected by the Familiar Mount ritual because it seemed cool and thematic with few in game implications. It has not given the technologist access to other feats or powers requiring a familiar.

 

[Bruize]

Forgot to mention that I created an item specifically for my dwarf player that is always roleplaying his character's drinking. I had it appear as loot in a side mission between Skyseer and Digging for Lies.

Drinking Horn of Mirth & WoeLevel 5 Rare
This well used drinking horn is brimming with alcohol.
Price: 1000gp
Item Category/Slot: Wondrous Item
Basic Properties
At the start of each day, the cask fills to its full volume with dwarven ale. Any ale taken from the cask evaporates if it has not been consumed when the cask refills.
Lush Assault ♦ Encounter (Minor)
Effect: As a minor action, the user guzzles the contents of the horn, entering a drunken rage. The user grants combat advantage to all enemies but gains resist 10 all until the end of the encounter. The horn must be full to use this ability.
Order a Pint ♦ Daily (Minor)
Effect: As a minor action, the user can cause the horn to fill with a random alchoholic beverage, many of which grants a special ability when imbibed.
Roll for Selection
1 – Envenomed Swill – You have alcohol poisoning. Ongoing 5 posion damage (Save ends).
2 – Gutrot: Grants a +1 bonus to fortitude until the end of the encounter.
3 – Dwarven Ale: You become sloshed, making all adjacent squares around you difficult terrain for your enemies.
4 – Elven Wine: You can re-roll a single missed attack roll before the end of the encounter.
5 – Orcish Grog: The next time you use an At-will attack, you can spend a healing surge to regain hit points.
6 – Watered Down Mead: Your vision becomes blurry, causing you to take a -2 penalty to attack rolls and grant CA (Save Ends).
7 – Danoran Red: You become highly resistant to arcane and divine magic. Make a saving throw +5 against any arcane or divine power used on you, even if it is beneficial or your own. If you succeed, the power does not affect you.
8 – Risuri White: You belch, bolstering all allies within 5 squares, granting 5 temp hp. (You do not gain any temp hp)
9 – Dragonfire Ale: Gain a Fiery Breath Attack (Close Burst 3, All ) Str or Con +3 vs Fort; 1d6 + Primary Stat Fire Damage and the targets are in a drunken haze ( dazed) until the end of your next turn.
10-100 Year Whiskey: Gain +5 to attack and Damage Rolls until the end of your next turn.

The item is a tad strong but I wanted to reward the party's Dwarven Paladin for some great roleplaying and taking up the role of the party defender and getting beat on all the time. The player really enjoys using the item and the random nature it has. I may look into doing something similar for the other players for their good roleplaying.

 

[gideonpepys]

Funny, I know the drunken dwarf is nothing new, but I had a similar 'drinking' mechanic in my game before Rumdoom sobered up. Each morning he rolled 1d6. On a 1-3 he suffered penalties to skill and ability checks. On a 4 nothing happened. On a 5-6 he gained bonus THP through his battleraging.