Running Frog God’s Blight
I am prepping to run Frog God Games Levee adventure path from 5E “The Blight” book they released. Normally when I run a prewritten AP, I scour the internet for other peoples’ experiences in running it and any changes or enhancements they made. I did that and found nothing for this AP anywhere. I am sure some people are either running it, prepping it or thinking of running it. So I figured I would start a thread of my own for GMs to share ideas and experiences. If you are considering being a player SPOILER WARNING. Don’t read any more.
So at this point I have read most of the book and I have to say it is great. I got so many adventure ideas from the material they have provided and the Levee is a psychological roller coaster. It’s twisted and I love it. So here are some things I am doing and thoughts I had about running it.
First, I wanted the players to have a real connection to Wicken and to each other. I didn’t want them to be a group just brought together by happenstance. So a character creation guideline that their characters all be from Wicken, know each other, and spent no real time in Castorhage was provided. I wanted the destruction of Wicken to have a real impact for all the characters and I wanted it to make sense that they would stay together and tolerate each other’s differences. It will also unite them in their hatred of Thornrage. I limited their exposure to Castorhage so the players and PCs could discover the city together.
Occularis Knight Rachel Birch was under utilized as written. I am going to introduce her much earlier. First I am going to make her the Knight who led the raid and ultimately destroyed Wicken and have her be the one who signed their death warrants. Thornrage gave the order, but she is the one who did it. It would establish her as a villain to the PCs rather than just an obstacle. Also, the Bright Citadel was expecting their bodies for questioning and would notice when they didn’t show up after the events in the first adventure. Birch could start searching for them long before they become infamous later in the AP. The PCs will then have more opportunities to run into her and once they learn she was at Wicken, she’ll likely meet her first death in ugly fashion. It’ll then make a lot of sense to the PCs why she comes back as an angry spirit.
Wicken villagers: The PCs are going to want to find any survivors they can since they are family and friends. Early in the AP they say as much and then don’t offer any suggestions on how to handle this. I’m planning on having some people absent when the raid occurred and survived. Some maybe got away. And some still were captured, like the PCs. The majority will be dead. As written, other than Enoch Nettle, they don’t find any survivors until the end and then only six of them. I want them to find more and sooner. Essentially reward their efforts. With my change of Birch’s role, I imagine they will get the information out of her as to what happened to the villagers at some point. I’m just curious as to how others are choosing to handle this?
I’m also thinking of changing the reason why the PCs were saved by Eleanor Shanks. As written, Lord Morel divined their importance and directed Shanks to save them. I just don’t like that. It just feels too contrived. Two of my PCs have a father/mentor that was a master thief and they became friends after he “died.” I’m thinking he is a high ranking Guild member and very much alive and directed Shanks to spring them in secret when he heard they were in trouble. Morel learns of it and their connection to rumored Occularis activity in Wicken and directs Shanks to keep tabs and things proceed mostly as written. Nothing really changes except the “why” of the PCs saving.
These are some of my thoughts for the moment. I’d be curious to hear how others are handling these or any other thoughts folks had on the AP? Anything people plan on changing or doing differently from how written?
I am prepping to run Frog God Games Levee adventure path from 5E “The Blight” book they released. Normally when I run a prewritten AP, I scour the internet for other peoples’ experiences in running it and any changes or enhancements they made. I did that and found nothing for this AP anywhere. I am sure some people are either running it, prepping it or thinking of running it. So I figured I would start a thread of my own for GMs to share ideas and experiences. If you are considering being a player SPOILER WARNING. Don’t read any more.
So at this point I have read most of the book and I have to say it is great. I got so many adventure ideas from the material they have provided and the Levee is a psychological roller coaster. It’s twisted and I love it. So here are some things I am doing and thoughts I had about running it.
First, I wanted the players to have a real connection to Wicken and to each other. I didn’t want them to be a group just brought together by happenstance. So a character creation guideline that their characters all be from Wicken, know each other, and spent no real time in Castorhage was provided. I wanted the destruction of Wicken to have a real impact for all the characters and I wanted it to make sense that they would stay together and tolerate each other’s differences. It will also unite them in their hatred of Thornrage. I limited their exposure to Castorhage so the players and PCs could discover the city together.
Occularis Knight Rachel Birch was under utilized as written. I am going to introduce her much earlier. First I am going to make her the Knight who led the raid and ultimately destroyed Wicken and have her be the one who signed their death warrants. Thornrage gave the order, but she is the one who did it. It would establish her as a villain to the PCs rather than just an obstacle. Also, the Bright Citadel was expecting their bodies for questioning and would notice when they didn’t show up after the events in the first adventure. Birch could start searching for them long before they become infamous later in the AP. The PCs will then have more opportunities to run into her and once they learn she was at Wicken, she’ll likely meet her first death in ugly fashion. It’ll then make a lot of sense to the PCs why she comes back as an angry spirit.
Wicken villagers: The PCs are going to want to find any survivors they can since they are family and friends. Early in the AP they say as much and then don’t offer any suggestions on how to handle this. I’m planning on having some people absent when the raid occurred and survived. Some maybe got away. And some still were captured, like the PCs. The majority will be dead. As written, other than Enoch Nettle, they don’t find any survivors until the end and then only six of them. I want them to find more and sooner. Essentially reward their efforts. With my change of Birch’s role, I imagine they will get the information out of her as to what happened to the villagers at some point. I’m just curious as to how others are choosing to handle this?
I’m also thinking of changing the reason why the PCs were saved by Eleanor Shanks. As written, Lord Morel divined their importance and directed Shanks to save them. I just don’t like that. It just feels too contrived. Two of my PCs have a father/mentor that was a master thief and they became friends after he “died.” I’m thinking he is a high ranking Guild member and very much alive and directed Shanks to spring them in secret when he heard they were in trouble. Morel learns of it and their connection to rumored Occularis activity in Wicken and directs Shanks to keep tabs and things proceed mostly as written. Nothing really changes except the “why” of the PCs saving.
These are some of my thoughts for the moment. I’d be curious to hear how others are handling these or any other thoughts folks had on the AP? Anything people plan on changing or doing differently from how written?