Stonefang Pass: Need Advice/Ideas

[Lindeloef]

Hello Fellow DMs (or GMs if you prefer)

!spoilers included. you have been warned!

I seek some Ideas for the Adventure "Orcs of Stonefang Pass".

I think my group will take an extended rest after the fight with the Orc chef (the one with the dragon skull) as they need this rest 'cause they are out of resources (mostly Surges).
But they know, that they are on a timer (Stonefang can be free every minute). So what should I do, if this happens?

My Idea is a worst case scenario:
Stonefang should get free during the rest. Killing the Shadowchain Dwarfs and getting his Hand and rip back. Also destroying the binding ritual site.
So he is overpowerd. And 4e Heroes don't run away -> TPK.
And I don't want that.
I have a rival group of (much better) heroes in my Campaign, so there could be a deus-ex-machina move. But that sounds lame too.

So how can I deal with this "issue", so they have a fair fight but there is also some sort of "if only we had stopped him instead of sleeping"-mentality ?

PS: hope my english is at least understandable.

 

[mattcolville]

Hello Fellow DMs (or GMs if you prefer)

!spoilers included. you have been warned!

I seek some Ideas for the Adventure "Orcs of Stonefang Pass".

I think my group will take an extended rest after the fight with the Orc chef (the one with the dragon skull) as they need this rest 'cause they are out of resources (mostly Surges).
But they know, that they are on a timer (Stonefang can be free every minute). So what should I do, if this happens?

My Idea is a worst case scenario:
Stonefang should get free during the rest. Killing the Shadowchain Dwarfs and getting his Hand and rip back. Also destroying the binding ritual site.
So he is overpowerd. And 4e Heroes don't run away -> TPK.
And I don't want that.
I have a rival group of (much better) heroes in my Campaign, so there could be a deus-ex-machina move. But that sounds lame too.

So how can I deal with this "issue", so they have a fair fight but there is also some sort of "if only we had stopped him instead of sleeping"-mentality ?

PS: hope my english is at least understandable.

Your English is understandable.

I had a similar problem with an adventure and what I did was just give the players a resource that let them take a rest in a minute. You know like, Lembas Wafers or something.

You already have a Time Limit and a Penalty For Failure, no reason to also force the players to sit around for hours resting.

You give them a limited number of Lembas Wafers and now you've made a mini-game out of it. Instead of "do we rest while the timer ticks down," which seems to me Not Fun, you have "Do we use our rations?" Which is the kind of decisions the players should be making.

 

[Zaran]

It's 6 hours. I'd give them the rest. When the titan breaks free as they show up, it will make them think it's because they took the rest. The fight is pretty fun.

The domination power doesn't work as written though. Usually the PC will use up their actions attacking the titan so being dominated until the end of their turn doesn't do anything. I would give them an immediate basic attack against a companion no matter what.

 

[SoulsFury]

Find an item that heals. A limited orb of healing or something. It has X number of charges and shatters when the last is used, sending out rays of energy dealing damage to anyone in the aura.

 

[Lindeloef]

thanks for the ideas so far.

I think i will go with either an item that restores Surges or let their rest be interrupted by Stonefangs freeing process (but giving them some HP+ surges back. not dailies)

 

[Zaran]

thanks for the ideas so far.

I think i will go with either an item that restores Surges or let their rest be interrupted by Stonefangs freeing process (but giving them some HP+ surges back. not dailies)

Kudos, to you for trying to keep the story sounding feasible. Really, though, if you want to let them be fresh for the final fight then give them an extended rest. Don't have to put in a McGuffin . Putting in some kind of 1 time boon sounds less feasible than the titan taking 6 more hours to get out of his cage.

Edit: If you really wanted to heal them up without giving them a full rest. Have Moradin show up as an old crusty dwarf and feed them "Stone Soup" that heals them up. He was a part of the binding the first time although he obviously got shown up by Torog in the eyes of the Shattered Chain Cult. Let him put in his contribution as a sort of slap in the face because obviously Torog hasn't come through this time around.

 

[SparqMan]

If you don't mind some railroading, you can force them into the Stonefang encounter and then have one of the dwarves sacrifice himself via some divine/arcane procedure that revitalizes the heroes and their powers.