Help with Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil

suburbaknght · Apr 18, 2003

I'm preparing to run the adventure but I can't find the clue that tells PCs they should go to the crater ridge mines - or even that the mines exist? Where do the PCs get the hint?

Gumby · Apr 18, 2003

One of the cultists carries a note (or perhaps it's in the farmhouse they're staying at in Hommlet), mentioning a contact in Rastor, the mining town near the mines.

Olgar Shiverstone · Apr 18, 2003

The best place to ask for help on this adventure is at the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil board at www.montecook.com.

JDragon · Apr 18, 2003

Gotta second Olgars suggestion.

It is a forum for DM's only on Monte's boards that just rocks. They have errata, FAQ, and someone recently start a file storage area where you can find all sorts of useful stuff for running the mod. (including soon some graphics I did of the elemental keys used in the CRM)

Monte even stops by occasionly to answer ?'s if the other board members haven't taken care of it.

JDragon

suburbaknght · Apr 19, 2003

I know about the note to Rastor, but there are no clues in Rastor (which isn't even detailed in the book).

I tried posting and montecook.com but the boards will not accept my username/password (I registered over a year ago) and will not let me register a new username with my e-mail address. When I had them send me my username and password (just to be sure) the board still didn't accept them. This board is the only way for me to get answers without e-mailing Monte himself.

Shallown · Apr 19, 2003

Well to be honest the Rastor-Crator mines is the weakest link in the module. You have to sort of wing it. The people in Rastor Know that the cultist exist and may slip up or you could just have cultist in town resupplying.... whatever connection you create.

I have played in it and then read it and I see why that was such a speed bump for the characters, there is little directin to the DM on how to make the connection.

While playin I went to Rastor once after finding the Mines we avoided Rastor as potential spies so I wouldn't worry to much about it just get the players pointed in the right direction and they soon forget Rastor as a small part of a much larger story.

later

Remathilis · Apr 19, 2003

WHen I ran it, I had the drug-dealer in Rastor spill his guts on where he's getting his stuff, the mines in the (West?). My PCs tied him to the cult and went there. Boy were they surprised at the size of that thing...

GenLang · Apr 19, 2003

I'm currently running a series of adventures designed to lead into RttToEE (an adventure pack of WotC mini-modules collated and tied together by someone on the RttToEE board) and in the first adventure the group discovered a dwarven tomb. I tied that tomb to the dwarves in Rastor, and to the mines in the mountain. There's a prophecy that whoever uncovers the tomb (and the artifacts I placed within therein) will be the ones to restore the dwarves to their place in the mines. It doesn't matter then, if the group does or does not tumble to the whole cultists-in-the-mountains storyline -- they're hooked from a different direction and will be going to the mines if the dwarves have their way.

Jai Kel · Apr 19, 2003

Check on the page before Chapter 4 starts. It lists some specifics about the Hamlet of Rastor and the NPCs there.

I used Tymerian as a link for my PCs. The background given for her would indicate she has some extensive knowledge of the Temple...

Unfortunately, it seems to me that you are just about required to burn the Mill down in Hommlet in order to lure the PCs there in the hopes that they might find the note/clue in the cellar.

Definitely could have used some more effort in linking Rastor into Hommlet or Nulb...