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Message: <blockquote data-quote="darkbard" data-source="post: 435946" data-attributes="member: 1282">while i certainly agree that a random array of monsters thrown at players is a BAD THING, "speaker in dreams" is hardly that, as already pointed out above.  the monstrous villains are all tied together in a web of deceit, subterfuge, and malicious intent, waiting to spring a series of events upon the citizens of brindenford that the illithid hopes will ulitmately create him a small empire of slaves.  the appearance of more fantastical creatures (fiendish dinosaurs and what) is what happens when such evil succeeds at its initial plans and is not suggested to be the standard state of affairs for a fantasy city.  it is situations like this that give adventurers a reason to exist in the fantasy society.that said, monte cook (you know ... one of the creators of this version of the game) has gone to great pains to create a realistic setting for his own campaign ... defining "realistic" to mean a believable setting where the rules of d&d make sense for the society ... ie why there are adventurers who risk their lives on a daily basis, why dungeons exist in great quantities, why fantastical creatures can be in close proximity to human settlements.  his ptolus campaign is an example of a design philosophy which tries to make the setting fit the rules in a viable manner and not the reverse:  creating a setting and then fleshing out rules for it.  most of us love the rules of d&d and yearn for a setting where such rules fit the entire flow and do not brand our characters as outrageous freaks out of step with their surroundings.james wyatt creates such a setting in "speaker" (which is the published module my group had the most fun with and which had the most believable and detailed storyline that i did not have to significantly alter before play).  the adventure is designed for 5th level characters (still relatively low-level), and yet the spellcasters can hurl fireballs or fly.  in a world where such adventurers are, if not commonplace, a viable component of society, of course they should face threats like those in the book, the monstrous forces of evil that are always looking to subjugate the innocent to their nefarious designs.  if you are willing to play a game where your character has such powers, why is it so hard to believe his opponents would be such equally "unrealistic" entities?  why is an illithid or a half-fiendish cleric more unrealistic in a fantasy setting than human npc's with the same (or similar) abilities (which they would have to have to be appropriate challenges for pc's of this level).nowhere in the adventure is it suggested that the characters should become inured to the fantastic or awe-inspiring threats they will face at higher levels (see the other modules in the adventure path series; you'll notice there's quite a variety of threats and rewards).  and, no, there are no +4 defending weapons in this adventure.  it is designed properly, in balance with the rules as written, and an appropriate challenge for characters of 5th level.</blockquote>

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