Leaving White Plume Mountain Early

[mattcolville]

It's pretty straightforward. Even Keraptis' note indicates that he's pretty glib about any attempts to recover the weapons. He figures he'll get them in the end no matter what. So, when the heroes actually triumph, the djinn goes after them as a last ditch attempt.

There was a similar discussion in one of the Ravenloft threads, where one poster just couldn't accept why Strahd doesn't crush the heroes utterly upon their arrival in Ravenloft rather than allow them to play out their string. He's a genius after all. Then again, he's a mad genius. It's important to understand the irrational nature of megalomania, the mentality that you simply cannot lose and others are mere catspaws to be toyed with.

In the words of Dr. Evil: "Scott....you just don't get it, do ya?"

My point is that the module's writers presume the heroes won't try and leave until they've recovered all three weapons, and there's a big moment when they try to leave with the three weapons in tow.

From this, I cannot tell if the writers imagined Keraptis would send his Djinn when the PCs *first* try to leave with a weapon, or when they *last* try to leave with a weapon.

 

[Felon]

Well, here's what the adventure says:

If the PCs manage to obtain all three of the stolen
legacy weapons, Keraptis sends one of his most trusted
servants (an invisible efreeti named Xonxin) to meet
them on their way out of the mountain.

I think the key with making sense out of "why now and not before" is realizing that Keraptis and the efreeti's agenda in this encounter have more to do with defeating (and enthralling) any surviving adventurers than they do with preventing any of the weapons from leaving the mountain at all costs. Consider that Keraptis did actually leave the note with the weapons' original owners in order to draw adventurers to the mountain, so the weapons were basically bait to begin with. It's all a big test, and Xonxin is the final exam. After all, whether or not the PC's stashed any of the weapons outside of the mountain somewhere, Keraptis can likely recover them once the PC's are dealt with.

 

[SWBaxter]

Right but when they try and leave for the last time, in this case, they will already have gotten at least 1 if not 2 weapons out. So the bad dude won't show up to say "I can't let you leave with those trinkets." It'll be "I've let you leave once or twice already with one or two, but this is the last straw!" Which seems counter to the module's assumptions.

The module seems to assume that there's a reason for the PCs not to leave, go back to town, hand over the items they've recovered, and go back in. But I can't find this reason.

Well, the module assumes they'll leave and go back to town to rest, but not travel all the way back to Greyhawk (or wherever) until they've got all three. As a result, it assumes that they'll carry any previously captured weapons back in with them.

If they don't do this - maybe they're comfortable leaving Blackrazor propped up in the corner of their room at the Inn, or maybe they store it somewhere more secure - then from Keraptis' point of view that's no big deal, once he brainwashes them into his guardian-slaves they'll tell him where the other weapon(s) are stashed.

Of course, from my own experience with the adventure and from what I've read of others', a pretty common result is the PCs returning Wave and Whelm and then saying "oh, that black soul-sucking sword? Terrible thing, it, uh, fell into some lava. Yeah, that's the ticket," and then carving a merry soul-sucking swath across the world.

 

[Felon]

Of course, from my own experience with the adventure and from what I've read of others', a pretty common result is the PCs returning Wave and Whelm and then saying "oh, that black soul-sucking sword? Terrible thing, it, uh, fell into some lava. Yeah, that's the ticket," and then carving a merry soul-sucking swath across the world.

Was that in 3e that you ran it? Truth is, I've looked at all three's legacy weapon stats, and I wouldn't say any of them blow my skirt up. Wave is particularly lame, only gaining a +2 bonus at 11th level.

 

[SWBaxter]

Was that in 3e that you ran it? Truth is, I've looked at all three's legacy weapon stats, and I wouldn't say any of them blow my skirt up. Wave is particularly lame, only gaining a +2 bonus at 11th level.

No, I ran it in 1E. Folks always grabbed Blackrazor because it's a clone of Stormbringer, and who wouldn't want that just for the cool factor? This was back when Elric was popular and Drizzt was not yet even a glimmer in the eyes of the TSR marketing department, things may be different nowadays.

I haven't read over the 3E weapon stats all that closely since I don't have the appropriate book, if I ever wanted them in 3E I'd stat them up using the intelligent item rules in Monte's Complete Book of Eldritch Might. And I'd be darn sure to make taking them for the party's own use very tempting.

 

[Felon]

Well, Blackrazor is basically just a greatsword that grants a bonus to Will saves and has a limited use deathknell effect, Wave pretty much turns the wielder into Aquaman (with the only cool power, dehydrate, reserved for 19th level as a 1/day effect), and Whelm is just a hammer of goblin and giant bane. At least BlackRazor and Whelm gain their bonuses at an appreciable rate though.

 

[Felon]

Btw, what was the deal with the turnstile in the original adventure? They yanked it from the update, supposedly because it was universally despised.

 

[Enkhidu]

In the orginial, the efreet at the end (replaced by the djinn in the rewrite) were named Nix and Nox, but I distinctly remember the module suggesting that if the PCs had too easy a time of it to simply add another pair or so (like Box and Cox). The idea was that the final encounter was supposed to be the one to use up the last of the resources, and give the party a memorable sendoff (being - ideally - low on spells, hit points, and one use items).

So, why not just throw in such an encounter when they leave (assuming you want to), and then throw it in again with another set of baddies if the enter and leave again?

 

[gizmo33]

I always assumed that timing of the efreeti encounter was a just a coincidence. If the PC happen to leave the dungeon for the last time exactly 3 days, 2 hours, and 29 minutes after they first entered it, then as far as they know it took Keraptis exactly that long to summon the efreeti, bargain with them, and locate the PCs. But I ran the dungeon a couple of times and never had the heart to use the efreeti - I saved them for the indoctrination center in case the PCs ever found their way in.