Review of The Fire Forest of Innenotdar (Spoilers)

[GuyPRunkle]

If anyone actually read this far, I'd love to hear your thoughts. One puzzle that those of you familiar with the plot might have noticed is that if Crystin is now indomitable, the ending of the adventure spells her death. I had her live and be cured when Indomitability died. The players did not fully understand the nature of why the seela survived and why indomitable creatures died so they didn't question this, but I would love to hear it if someone has an idea as to how I can make this work.

Crystin's trillith is a mystery at this point, you might make her survival a benefit of that connection - perhaps through the connection of the forest with the dream realm or as a consequence of the destruction of the first tree?

Tangentially speaking . . .
My PC's decided to give the Living Blade to the Seela, figuring that they would be most diligent in using its power to restore the forest.

Entirely unexpected on my part - most groups I have played with would never have given up a powerful magic item . . . I would like to have a positive consequence crop up later in the game. It would have to be something very cool, preferably something that would work out in the PCs favor, and preferably unexpected, but clearly tied to the living blade. I was thinking possibly of the return of Anyariel.

Anyone have any cool ideas on that?

Guy Runkle

 

[RangerWickett]

I was thinking possibly of the return of Anyariel.

Anyone have any cool ideas on that?

Guy Runkle

Intriguing. Maybe her spirit accompanies them, appearing to them when they are near death, and able to speak to them briefly in their dreams, or if they use a ritual to enter a trance or something.

Like perhaps the first time a PC is knocked unconscious and about to die, he sees a vision of Anyariel with the sword, defending him. Work up some stats for a fairly bad-ass warrior, and make it so that she'll fight for one round, then let the fallen PC spend a healing surge.

After the battle, that PC gets a sense that she's still around somehow, and with a successful skill challenge they can contact her spirit, wherein she says that a part of her spirit will always protect them. Thereafter, maybe the party as a whole gets the ability to call upon her once per day to make a single attack. Probably able to attack anywhere within sight, even flying, invisible, or insubstantial things.

It's not actually her ghost, so they can't talk to her, but she might occasionally manifest as a briefly-glimpsed figure in the distance to guide them when they're lost in some appropriately spooky area. Like the castle in adventure 6, the forest and temple in 7, and so on.

 

[GuyPRunkle]

Just what I was looking for, and from the man himself! Thanks Ryan! I'll post on how things go with the appearances and upload stats for the spirit when I work them out!

Guy

 

[EugeneZ]

Good stuff, and coincidentally, thanks, Guy, for the hint on Crystin -- her inner Trillith nature can just about explain anything, so I think I'll stick with that if it comes up, thanks.

P.S. -- On a fun note, we are playing #3 (Shelter from the Storm) now and on the way to Seaquen, the PCs stop off at Brightstaff Commons, where they are supposed to hear about Cinder, a taste of one of the possible path late in #4. The townspeople made it clear he was extremely dangerous and Tiljann said that she was sung songs about Cinder as a child and that he was a very powerful dragon. The PCs decided to climb the mountain to fight him and free the Brightstaff's dwarf clerics! I made up a really tough (level 13 or so) skill challenge to climb the mountain, and despite resting often, two of the PCs were almost out of surges at the top of the mountain and most of the rest of them were lacking at least one or two. I figured they'd turn back... they're level seven. But they didn't. They walked in... and insisted on fighting Cinder, a level 15 solo.

Jeez. Thought some of you might get a kick out of that. We stopped in the middle of combat.

 

[sfedi]

Oh no! I hope they don't die

 

[RangerWickett]

Hehehe. Maybe Cinder likes people with chutzpah.

Or maybe he'll be like, "Ugh, I am so f***ing tired of wannabe 'heroes' coming and trying to kill me. Just, I dunno, leave. Tell them you killed me. I'll lay low for a few years. I'm trying to finish my novel, and I cannot keep having all these distractions!"

Or a middle option. When he's near to killing a PC, he'll shout, "Ha, take that you invading Ragesian bastard!" That should make the PCs go, "Bwuh?!" He's heard news of the Ragesians, and even though he's a dragon and evil, he's not going to side with him. This is his territory, after all.

I don't know what they have in mind for Cinder later on, but maybe you could make him into a temporary ally, or even have him be entertained by the PCs' tales of fighting the Rags, to the point that he calls a truce. They scraped him up; he nearly killed a few of them. It's good for the soul. He might even be convinced that defending the humans in the area as an ally is more profitable and comfortable than terrorizing them. (He can work out his terroristic urges against the Rags.)

 

[EugeneZ]

Thanks for the ideas, RangerWickett, but I'm afriad I chose a much more complicated option... One of my players is a stringent follower of the Raven Queen. Unknown to him, I wanted to take advantage of WotBS's godless world... gods like the Raven Queen and Correllon and so on are just local facets of a single many-faced god. Anyway, I want to drop hints to this extent throughout the campaign. Each PC will also get a single "god-forged" relic. Each is an intelligent item that can communicate with the others and see the future. Presumably this many-faced god uses these artifacts to drive the balance of the world. The Raven Queen follower has the sword of the set, another PC has the cape of the set.

Anyway, I figure Cinder's the collector type, most dragons are, right? He found the Brightstaff but set his sights even higher -- he wants the nameless artifacts said to be forged by the One True God. When he senses the PCs coming up the cliff, he orders his minions to move aside to let them inside. He wants that sword/cape. He battles them without too much talk, and once the weilders are down, grabs their historical artifacts. But, when he grasps the sword, it will not leave the character's hand, dragon's strength be damned! Cinder realizes that character has been chosen by the One True God to change the balance of the world (for good? for evil?). Even dragons respect the will of the Most High, right?

But the PCs won't know any of this. Likely they will rather confused as to why Cinder let them go.

 

[sfedi]

Oh, that's very cool.

 

[GuyPRunkle]

Just what I was looking for, and from the man himself! Thanks Ryan! I'll post on how things go with the appearances and upload stats for the spirit when I work them out!

Guy

OK, here's my take on Anyariel's spirit:

Anyariel Level 15 Elite Soldier
Medium Fey Humanoid (Insubstantial, Elf) XP 2,400

Initiative +14 Senses Perception +12
HP 296; Bloodied 148
AC 31; Fortitude 27, Reflex 27, Will 27
Resist Insubstantial (1/2 damage)
Saving Throws +2
Speed 7, fly (hover) 7
Action Points 1

M Living Blade (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
+18 vs Armor Class; 1d10+2 damage (Crit 2d6 + 12), and the target is marked until the end of Anyariel's next turn .

R Shortbow (Standard; at-will) ♦ Weapon
Ranged 15/30; +22 vs Armor Class; 1d8+6 damage, and the target is marked until the end of Anyariel's next turn.

m Sudden Surge (Standard; recharge 56) ♦ Martial, Weapon
+18 vs AC, 2d10+8 damage and Anyariel moves 3 squares

c Sweeping Blow (Standard; at-will) ♦ Martial, Weapon
Close Burst 1; +21 vs AC, 1d10+8 damage.

Summon Living Blade
As a free action, Anyariel teleports the Living Blade into her hands from up to one mile away. It flares with a green nimbus and white flame when it teleports.

Fiery Blade (Free; at-will) ♦ Weapon (Living Blade)
All damage dealt by the living blade is fire damage. Normal damage can be returned with another free action.

Sustained Mark
If Anyariel ends her turn adjacent to a target marked by her, that target remains marked until the end of her next turn.

Elven Accuracy (Free; encounter)
Anyariel can reroll an attack roll. She must use the second roll, even if it's lower.

Wild Step
Anyariel ignores difficult terrain when she shifts.

Alignment Good Languages: Common, Supernal, Elven

Skills Nature +14
Str 22 (+13) Dex 16 (+10) Wis 18 (+11)
Con 18 (+11) Int 18 (+11) Cha 22 (+13)

Equipment Living Blade

 

[Morrus]

Good stuff, and coincidentally, thanks, Guy, for the hint on Crystin -- her inner Trillith nature can just about explain anything, so I think I'll stick with that if it comes up, thanks.

P.S. -- On a fun note, we are playing #3 (Shelter from the Storm) now and on the way to Seaquen, the PCs stop off at Brightstaff Commons, where they are supposed to hear about Cinder, a taste of one of the possible path late in #4. The townspeople made it clear he was extremely dangerous and Tiljann said that she was sung songs about Cinder as a child and that he was a very powerful dragon. The PCs decided to climb the mountain to fight him and free the Brightstaff's dwarf clerics! I made up a really tough (level 13 or so) skill challenge to climb the mountain, and despite resting often, two of the PCs were almost out of surges at the top of the mountain and most of the rest of them were lacking at least one or two. I figured they'd turn back... they're level seven. But they didn't. They walked in... and insisted on fighting Cinder, a level 15 solo.

Jeez. Thought some of you might get a kick out of that. We stopped in the middle of combat.

I had the same problem - but I had Torrent talk them out of it! The idea is that it's a seed for a later encounter in the saga, but I guess my players thought "Aha! Side plot!"