Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="BlackFalconKY" data-source="post: 1989103" data-attributes="member: 1890">RP Still Available*spoilers*For as combat-oriented as CotSQ is, there is still plenty of opportunity for role-playing.  Much like one of the previous posters above mentioned, my party also struck a deal with the archmage of Szith Morcane to eliminate Dorina.  They likewise bargained with the stone giants.   They made some wheelings-and-dealings with the Hidden in Maerimydra.  In fact, the party ended up as prisoners of the fire giants in Maerimydra for several days, during which they were forced to participate in gladiator matches in the abandoned arena (a completely added twist that we absolutely loved playing through).  Afterward, they struck a deal with the giants to help fight against Irae.  Before reaching Maerimydra, they even unsuccessfully tried to do some bargaining with a beholder.  There was much intrigue as the party was spied on and counter-spied their enemies and taunted each other with sending spells.  Fortunate attempts at scrying bought the party some vital clues and warnings, such as when they happened to witness the newly resurrected Dorina get turned back into a vampire at the feet of Irae.  They got their first glimpse of the draegloth, Flenser, months before they met in person.  They dubbed the beast the Head Ripper because they saw it decapitate the vampire that sired Dorina and talked about what the monster could possibly be for session after session.It is true that I spent a huge amount of time preparing NPCs for this adventure; I had to adjust for their level, errors, and of course, D&D went from 3.0 to 3.5 right smack in the middle of this campaign!  However, the NPCs presented gave me ideas, but I like to add my own personal twists and touches.  New material is always coming out, and I like to add it to whatever module I may be running.  For example, the second time the party ran into Dorina T'sarran, she was not simply a vampire, I'd added the Spellstitched template.  Little customizations such as that helped make the work more exciting.  The course of the adventure really shaped some of my players into what they are today.  For example, after opening a door to find six ravenous abyssal ghouls in Castle Maerimydra, I have one player who simply states "I don't do doors" and refuses to be the first in any room ever since!  My players developed a hearty respect (if not fear) for: krakens, abyssal ghouls, fire giants, and doomspheres (ghost beholders).  They even learned to despise mind flayers and the blade barrier spell.  Imagine their shock and horror as their cleric's blade barrier fires up and the mind flayer mentally compels the party rogue to "catch the feathers!"  Spectacular, memorable deaths occured every few weeks in this module.  Overall, I have as much fondness for this adventure as any of the old "classics".  The whole module had an epic feel to it, and it kept us entertained for close to a year.  My players enjoy combat-heavy gaming, and this adventure catered right to them.  After playing so long, it was an unbelievable experience to watch the PCs strike that final blow against Irae and bring down the temple.  In the end, it fit our gaming style perfectly.  It may not be for everyone, but there are those of us who really enjoyed the adventure.  Charles Plemons</blockquote>

Verification