Iron dm summer champion announced!
cool hand luke
First Post
O I think wulf made that vicious comment in all earnestness. He really thinks rune is doing a horrible horrible job.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Hey, watch me pull on my moderator's hat...
Iron DM works because the competitors agree to abide by the judge's decision. Don't agree with the judge? Tough. Didn't have enough time to polish your entry? Tough.
Ultimately, it comes down to "who impresses the judge more," and someone has to lose. If you don't like the judge's decision, then you should address it with them privately, but you SHOULDN'T make everyone else uncomfortable by continually referring to it or by being insulting. That's just being a bad sport. I learned this myself the hard way in a previous Iron DM, and it was a painful lesson to learn.
One other thing is worth noting. The fact that one person will lose doesn't invalidate that competitor's design skill or competence, especially in incredible rounds like the ones we've been having. It just means the judge liked the other person's entry more, and had reasons for deciding that way. Unfair? Maybe, but that's the way things are.
If anyone cares to discuss this further, please email Rune or myself about it instead of discussing it here. No more snide comments, please - but trashtalking the other competitors is still okay.
Iron DM works because the competitors agree to abide by the judge's decision. Don't agree with the judge? Tough. Didn't have enough time to polish your entry? Tough.
Ultimately, it comes down to "who impresses the judge more," and someone has to lose. If you don't like the judge's decision, then you should address it with them privately, but you SHOULDN'T make everyone else uncomfortable by continually referring to it or by being insulting. That's just being a bad sport. I learned this myself the hard way in a previous Iron DM, and it was a painful lesson to learn.
One other thing is worth noting. The fact that one person will lose doesn't invalidate that competitor's design skill or competence, especially in incredible rounds like the ones we've been having. It just means the judge liked the other person's entry more, and had reasons for deciding that way. Unfair? Maybe, but that's the way things are.
If anyone cares to discuss this further, please email Rune or myself about it instead of discussing it here. No more snide comments, please - but trashtalking the other competitors is still okay.
el-remmen
Moderator Emeritus
Piratecat said:but trashtalking the other competitors is still okay.
Well, someone had better teach seasong how to do that - because if his lame insults are any indication of how he can string words together then I have the final round in the bag. . ..
feh. Amateur.
seasong
First Post
This from a man who doesn't understand basic punctuation.nemmerle said:Well, someone had better teach seasong how to do that - because if his lame insults are any indication of how he can string words together then I have the final round in the bag. . ..
feh. Amateur.
And what insults? I've been pretending I have real competition for the final round, not moaning about the lack.
-seesaw
Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
cool hand luke said:
Umm, no. I was joking. Tempest in a teapot, I hope.
I would never trash talk my competitors, cause that would be bad sportsmanship-- but the judge, faceless and above reproach, seems a fair target-- in Iron DM anyway. It's not aimed at Rune specifically any more than it's aimed at nemmerle (in fact I am pretty sure I was blaming him for incognito's judgin').
Hope I haven't seriously offended anyone...
I enjoy ineffectual grousing about all-powerful entities above the reproach of mere mortals... See my entry to follow...
Wulf
Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
---- DEUS EX MACHINA ----
DM's BACKGROUND
This adventure is set in the world of Greyhawk and features a dispute between the gods Hextor and Heironeous. Otherwise, the entire adventure should have a very "greek" feel to it, with the gods meddling in the affairs of mortals-- and vice versa. The adventure is best suited to a low to lower-mid level party (so as to necessitate sea travel, as opposed to teleportation...).
Many years ago the king of Petros (a thriving city state located on a rocky isle off the coast of the mainland) was aging, in failing health, and without an heir to his Coral Throne. In desperation he turned to the gods for help, making offerings of equal value to each of the gods in hopes that just one of them would answer his prayers. Deliver a son to him, he swore, and he would build a towering temple on the isle in honor of his patron. In time, his prayers were answered by Heironeous-- but Hextor, always at odds with Heironeous, was not to be outdone.
The old king died just weeks before the birth-- of his twin sons. The king had left explicit instructions, but this turn of events was unexpected and unaccounted for. The poor queen was advised, for the good of the line, to choose one of the twins as heir and simply do away with the other-- and no one would be the wiser. She chose one of her sons, giving him over to the safekeeping of her maids, and cast the other into the sea. Wracked with guilt, she followed soon after.
Decades passed. Under the tutelage of Petros' learned priests, the boy has grown into a man, and is now prepared to ascend to the Coral Throne. Upon his ascendancy to the Throne, he will personally consecrate the new temple, the construction of which he has watched for his entire life.
Heironeous and Hextor watch with more than a passing interest in a temple in an out-of-the-way city state. A bit of their life force resides in the twins, after all, and the outcome of this drama is a matter of honor for these duelling deities.
HOOKS
1) The party's cleric receives orders from his church to head to Petros to witness the consecration of the new temple.
2) The party is travelling overseas and the gods intervene directly (proceed to Encounter One).
3) One of the party members-- preferably a cleric or paladin of Heironeous or Hextor-- is the lost twin. This option will obviously require the DM to rearrange the fate of the lost twin and the story of the nixies-- but it is the most entertaining option for prime rat bastardry (especially if the wrath of the spurned god sinks the entire island ere the adventure is complete).
IMPORTANT FINAL NOTE:
It's deliberately ambiguous, in the following adventure, which twin survived, and which did not; and as far as the PCs are concerned, it is not clear just which god is working FOR them and which is working AGAINST them. In fact, the PCs may never quite figure it out; the only thing that should be clear to them is that they are pawns in a divine game sprung from some sort of sibling rivalry.
The experienced Wulf Ratbane reader may note with some satisfaction the usual disdain for the machinations of the gods.
ENCOUNTER ONE: STORMY SEAS
As the party sails to Petros and enters deep seas, the lookout will warn of a sudden squall that is heading their way-- black clouds and enormous waves. The captain will order the PCs below decks, but those who choose to stay above decks will see a terrifying sight. As the squall moves over the ship, lighting will begin to flash around them. The storm is the work of a Titan, an enforcer of the gods; though he approaches invisibly and under a persistent image of a storm, clever PCs will see his legs churning up waves, his arms throwing lightning bolts. The titan will have little difficulty sinking the ship in a matter of rounds.
Once in the water, the PCs should make alternating Swim checks (stormy water) and Will saves (DC15). Those who fail either roll sink beneath the waves.
As the PC's sink, they may see a large group of nixies swim towards them. The nixies will use their water breathing ability (in addition to the charm person ability they have already been using) to get the PCs to calm down and accompany them to their city on the bottom of the sea.
ENCOUNTER TWO: GUESTS OF THE FEY
The visit with the nixies should be pleasant for the PCs and an opportunity to Gather Information. The nixies will tell the PCs the background story, if they do not already know it; furthermore they will be able to tell them that they remember the babe falling into the sea many years ago-- and how they saved its life. Good Diplomacy or Gather Information checks and the nixies will admit that the babe stayed with them until he was a young adult; VERY good checks and they will inform the party that the boy, now a man, is back on Petros, disguised as a wandering zealot and preaching against the gods.
Like all Fey, the nixies cannot hide their glee and satisfaction at the tale of another foundling/changeling gone awry.
After the Titan moves off (the ship, burned to the waterline, sinking past them), the nixies will help the PCs make it to the island. You can present the PCs with a small challenge here, perhaps clearing another (more intact) wreck of sharks or sahuagin, making repairs, raising it to the surface, etc.
ENCOUNTER THREE: THE DUSTY ROAD
From the beach, the cliffs rise sharply, though there is a dusty road that leads to the high-walled city-state of Petros. It is clear that, short of flying, the only way into the city is to follow the road. The PCs, having foiled the previous attempt on their lives, must now contend with another.
A Sphinx will either settle on the road in front of them or confront them in the sky and force them down. The Sphinx is quite talkative, for a divine assassin; it will quite pleasantly inform the PCs that it has been sent to prevent them from entering the city. But, as always, there is a catch-- answer the riddle and the Sphinx will spare them. The Sphinx should be sufficiently powerful (with added HD or class levels, if necessary) that there really is no better option.
The Sphinx will stretch its neck and limbs a bit before asking the riddle. A Sense Motive check may reveal that the Sphinx seems to be casting about for a suitable topic for the riddle. A Spot check may notice her glance resting on the scrub and brush that line the avenue-- only one plant seems able to thrive in the dusty road. A Knowledge (nature) check may reveal the name of the nearby plants-- but, these are all hints. A proper Rat Bastard will feel no need to give his players hints for such an easy riddle:
The cautious and careless are rewarded with pain; the bold grasp me safely and now: speak my name.
If the PCs get the answer correct, the Sphinx will let them pass. If they do not, they get eaten (or at least as close to eaten as the Sphinx's statblock, and the DMs own guilty conscience, will allow).
ENCOUNTER FOUR: THE ZEALOT
The PCs move up the road to the city. As they approach, they will see the glimmering spire of the tall temple towering over the city. The city is large; lots of people; plenty to see, do, buy, sell-- whatever the PCs have in mind. Gather Information here in the city can reveal the backstory-- though remember that here in the town, there has only ever been ONE heir to the throne. There is a sense of nervous excitement about the upcoming coronation. A good check will reveal that a wandering Zealot has been speaking out against the gods, even (it is rumored) against the heir himself. A bit of legwork and the PCs can meet the zealot.
The zealot is a cleric, paladin, or "holy warrior" about 2 levels higher than the party average-- enough to contend with them briefly, but not enough to overcome them. He is a canny conversationalist and will listen eagerly to their story, trying to determine where their affiliations lie. If the conversation goes well and he thinks he can trust them, he will reveal (lying if necessary) that the heir is a follower of Hextor (or Heironeous, depending on the party's mood) and that the city is doomed if he rises to power and completes the consecration of the temple to Hextor (or Heironeous...). He will urge the party to help him-- his voice has fallen on deaf ears amongst the populace here, clearly the gods have sent them to his aid, etc. If they can capture, abduct, or kill the heir, disaster will be averted. If they can even do so little as to disrupt the consecration ceremony, even this might be enough... though eventually the heir will have to be dealt with...
LOOSE STRINGS
Lots of backstory and plenty of loose strings. Which twin survived? Which god is working against the PCs? Was the Titan merely orchestrating a much needed encounter with the nixies? Was the Sphinx sent to stop them, or was it merely a test of their worth-- and if so, was it a test of their wits or their swords? Is the zealot the lost twin, and is there more than sibling rivalry and the fate of the throne at work here?
Rune
Once A Fool
Not that I'm holding it against you, Wulf, but it would be slightly easier on me if future entries only list the secondary ingredients that actually appear in the scenario. (Got that, cool hand luke?)
Again, to be clear, I'm not finding fault, it's just something I wish I'd thought to mention earlier.
Edit--cool hand luke, if you post your entry before seeing this, don't sweat it. I still don't want you to edit your post, once you've submitted it.
Again, to be clear, I'm not finding fault, it's just something I wish I'd thought to mention earlier.
Edit--cool hand luke, if you post your entry before seeing this, don't sweat it. I still don't want you to edit your post, once you've submitted it.
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Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
Sorry... my incredibly well-woven and indispensible secondary ingredients are three: Throne, Titan, Fey.
