Originally posted by Huscarl:
I take it that a failed roll meant discovery or suspicion?
A failed roll meant the monster or NPC was surprised.
Glad I found these clarifications. Any chance we will see an erata document with updated maps and the like Steve?
That would be a question for Wizards of the Coast. Wolf and I wrote the adventure and Kobold Press packaged it, but WotC is the publisher.
In episode 6, I don't see where the NPC Dralmorrer Borngrey is expected to be, except the limited time when he is in his sleeping chambers. And there is a conflict between some text that seems to indicate that Rezmir will be in the castle (page 48) and then some text that seems to indicate she won't be (page 46).
Any guidance?
There is also a lack of direction on how the overall situation at the castle might develop, especially what the denizens thereof might do if the PCs are holed up somewhere taking a long rest, for instance.
The situation in episode 6 is entirely open-ended. We didn't want to script NPCs' locations or motions. Guidance is given in certain cases; where nothing is said, it's up to the DM. When Rezmir is at the castle, she's in charge, and she could be anywhere the person in charge might go: in the library, in her chambers, in the Great Hall supervising the sorting of loot, outside the castle dealing with bullywugs or lizardfolk, in her office consulting with Borngray and Jos, in the dungeon watching loot being transported to the Lodge, in the courtyard watching lizardfolk at drill. As SiC, Borngray has most of the same options. The castle is meant to be a site in motion, not a store window display where everything and everyone is frozen in place until PCs come to attack them.
Rezmir is definitely at the castle when characters arrive, but she might not be around for long. She evacuates immediately if an attack develops. She leaves within a day or two if characters drag things out.
Until castle denizens become aware of the characters' presence, they go about their normal routine. Once they become aware of non-Cult infiltrators in the area, they'll react in whatever manner the DM thinks is most appropriate and most exciting for the players. There are too many possibilities for us to enumerate all of them. That's one of the facets of D&D that makes it so brilliant; there's a human brain behind the screen, constantly reacting to the changing situation and intelligently guiding NPCs by weighing far more factors than any remote author or programmer can account for.
So my guidance is, internalize the personalities of the principal NPCs and the factions, look at the developing situation from their viewpoints, and have the NPCs do what it makes most sense for them to do.
Steve
