Questing for The Fist

[theodinheadbasher]

I am currently running a campain with my gf, and we have been going for about a year now. The group is made up of an elven Ranger(lvl 10), a Dwarven Battlerager(lvl 10), and a Dwarven cleric(lvl 9). Currently, we are questing to find Delzoun's Fist. As it stands right now, they have one of the gauntlets needed to use/find the Fist. How I have it set up is, you need both gauntlets and a girdle to use Delzoun's Fist. So they got word of where the Fist was entombed, so they went through there, clearing out a den of Beholders and Beholder kin, and found that someone beat them to the punch, by at least 50-60 years, and all that was there was one of the gauntlets. When Theo(the battlerager) picked it up, he was given a flash of where the next one was. Now I have planned the next one to be in the Spiderhaunt Woods near Cormyr, and I'm figuring the girdle to be in the Swamp(i dont remember its name) on the far easter boarder of Cormyr, and then finally for the Fist itself to be somewhere in Mulhorand, at least thats what I'm thinking right now.

But what i dont know is, what would be a good level for them to finally be at to find the Fist. Like this is an ancient dwarven Artifact, so obviously not too soon, but how long should they be questing for this thing? As i said, they only have one piece of the puzzle right now, and are doing multiple side quests, but I don't really know what a good level for them to be at, when the final confrontation comes around, would be. I also don't really know what they should fight, but that I can figure out with time.

Any suggestions?

EDIT NOTE: This is a 2nd Edition campain with some house rules

 

[Darkness]

Welcome to the boards.

How powerful is this artifact and what are they planning to do with it (if anything, that is) when they have it?

 

[Cherub]

I am currently running a campain with my gf, and we have been going for about a year now. The group is made up of an elven Ranger(lvl 10), a Dwarven Battlerager(lvl 10), and a Dwarven cleric(lvl 9). Currently, we are questing to find Delzoun's Fist. As it stands right now, they have one of the gauntlets needed to use/find the Fist. How I have it set up is, you need both gauntlets and a girdle to use Delzoun's Fist. So they got word of where the Fist was entombed, so they went through there, clearing out a den of Beholders and Beholder kin, and found that someone beat them to the punch, by at least 50-60 years, and all that was there was one of the gauntlets. When Theo(the battlerager) picked it up, he was given a flash of where the next one was. Now I have planned the next one to be in the Spiderhaunt Woods near Cormyr, and I'm figuring the girdle to be in the Swamp(i dont remember its name) on the far easter boarder of Cormyr, and then finally for the Fist itself to be somewhere in Mulhorand, at least thats what I'm thinking right now.

But what i dont know is, what would be a good level for them to finally be at to find the Fist. Like this is an ancient dwarven Artifact, so obviously not too soon, but how long should they be questing for this thing? As i said, they only have one piece of the puzzle right now, and are doing multiple side quests, but I don't really know what a good level for them to be at, when the final confrontation comes around, would be. I also don't really know what they should fight, but that I can figure out with time.

Any suggestions?

EDIT NOTE: This is a 2nd Edition campain with some house rules

If I may provide my 2 cents worth...I have DMed FR for quite some years now...i dont recall there being swamp country on the eastern border of Cormyr tho u do have the HighMoors on the north north western and the Farsea Marches on the north western part of the region in reference to Cormyr...I would say make them sweat for part No. 2 till they are about 13th lev and then really work for the final piece when they are about 16th Levl and have the final encounter be up against perhaps an Ancient Red Wyrm with a fiend template / half-fiend ancient red wyrm or a 18th lev Lich Wizard and two half-feind adult red dragons who serve as his magically bound servants / body-guards...

 

[theodinheadbasher]

If I may provide my 2 cents worth...I have DMed FR for quite some years now...i dont recall there being swamp country on the eastern border of Cormyr tho u do have the HighMoors on the north north western and the Farsea Marches on the north western part of the region in reference to Cormyr...I would say make them sweat for part No. 2 till they are about 13th lev and then really work for the final piece when they are about 16th Levl and have the final encounter be up against perhaps an Ancient Red Wyrm with a fiend template / half-fiend ancient red wyrm or a 18th lev Lich Wizard and two half-feind adult red dragons who serve as his magically bound servants / body-guards...

Its not actually a swamp country, its called the Vast Swamp i believe. I'm going by the Atlas of Forgotten Realms by Karen Wynn Forstad. And about what they should fight against, I'm not really sure what you mean by fiend template. This is a 2nd Edition campain, and I've never really gotten into 3rd. I have the books("borrowed" them from chapters I did), but I dont really like it. It seems too munchin to me. But that is just personal opinion, not bashing those who play 3rd, cause in all truth, I've never really played it. Now, if I got to play it in a decently sized group, I could possibly get into it, but that is a different matter entirely.

 

[Cherub]

Its not actually a swamp country, its called the Vast Swamp i believe. I'm going by the Atlas of Forgotten Realms by Karen Wynn Forstad. And about what they should fight against, I'm not really sure what you mean by fiend template. This is a 2nd Edition campain, and I've never really gotten into 3rd. I have the books("borrowed" them from chapters I did), but I dont really like it. It seems too munchin to me. But that is just personal opinion, not bashing those who play 3rd, cause in all truth, I've never really played it. Now, if I got to play it in a decently sized group, I could possibly get into it, but that is a different matter entirely.

pardon me, mate...over looked the fact that you made reference to 2nd ed and u're probably right about the location of the Vast Swamp...I was referring to a rather small map of the region when responding to your thread and may have looked past it...cheerio!

 

[theodinheadbasher]

Welcome to the boards.

How powerful is this artifact and what are they planning to do with it (if anything, that is) when they have it?

Ok, now that I'm at home and not slaving on the phone at work, I actually have the stats(as far as I can recon) for this Artifact.

Now the Fist is actually in the Encyclopedia Magic V. II or III, but I dont have either of those, so I had to use the internet as my resource(yay interweb), and had to make some adjustments of my own.

It is a +5 Dwarven Thrower, that can be used as a normal Warhammer as well
-slays giants(only giants, not giantkin or ogres) on a successful hit, and also releases a thunderclap that deafens unless save vs. spell
-occasionally get glimses of ancient Delzoun(something I added, but am not sure of keeping)
-fly into a berzerker rage on sight of giants, roll wisdom at -2 after 1d4 rds to stop rage
-10d6 lightning bolt 2/day
-requires 19 str(which is granted by the gauntlets and girdle)
-gives +4 to Str
-acts as a ring of spell turning


Now, some of these stats are from the Hammer of Thunderbolts, but, I'm working with little to nothing here. If you, or anyone, has the actual 2nd Ed. stats for Delzoun's Fist, I would be eternally greatful.

And as far as what they plan to do with it once they get it. Well, Theo is a Glory Seeker(dwarven handbook character trait), and a prince of a dwarven realm I created placed in the greypeak mountains. Basicly they are retriving it for glory and fame. I myself am eventually planning on them coming up against an ancient red dragon half god. Sort of the father of Dragons. There is story behind this. But overall, I haven't really thought of what they are going to do after finding it. I am more concerned with them finding it right now.

Any further input is more than welcome.