the Kyri Chronicles - last updated 22 Oct

[Plane Sailing]

Thanks for the advice PlaneSailing, I guess its not to much work to do it this way.

I've already used the bonetangle (stole it from the description in the Iconics Adventure), so I'll probably substitute it with something else.

Something that I think would probably work well is to do more with the "enlarged vermin" kind of thing. By the time they meet the trog, they have become quite used to seeing those beetles scuttling around everywhere - I used the 4th level spell vermin growth (or whatever it is called) to give the trog some instant allies - you might be able to do something more interesting along those lines?

I wondered how many class levels you put in there. The original NPCs are 1-3 level, did you scale this linearely all the way to level 8, or is that to challenging ?

I think I went for a fairly linear scaling of the levels - the Trog became Clr8, Thimdrul became (effectively) an Egoist 8, the other goblins ranged from Rogue 7 (the spy), Barb 6, Rogue 6 (the prince), Telepath 4 (the apprentice). The Gnolls each had 2 levels of my own alt.ranger - basically exactly like a barbarian but without the rage and with the rangers skill list and favoured enemy.

I have to admit that for the battle above, this was too much. With good tactics (and in the face of abominable initial tactics by the party - no planning at all!) I could have had a TPK. Two of the goblins are not interested in stand up fights though, and I decided that their gnoll mercenaries would quit if the tide turned against them (thats what you get for CE mercenaries!), but even so one of the players emailed me afterwards and said he thought I'd let them off lightly in the circumstances.

Still, I had one major death, so I hope I don't get thrown out by the RBDMC

In case you are interested, my version of Thimdrul used Polymorph Self to become troll-sized. Gave him oodles of Str and Con (great for his power DC's), he used Claws of the Bear (which as a Large size creature went from d12 to 2d8) and then duodimensional hand to increase his claw threat range from 20 to 17-20. He also manifested Schism, so the other part of his mind could continually manifest Body Adjustment to heal himself during combat. My version started off with a great Con, giving him a fair few hit points to start with. If he had stuck in the fight I would certainly have killed Trajan and probably got Lysander as well - but He was seeing his allies decimated and from his POV it was time to bale out and regroup.

I might also do something else I love to do, put a competing (evil) party in there who is after the same goal. I've got a couple of handy ones, and at least on of them have fling capabilities for an arial assault. If the PCs go in through the mines, we could end up with a big three-way fight at the end !

An interesting possibility in this respect is if the Heroes of the Bell were somewhat higher level than expected, and the two which never made it past the Fey actually ganged up with her. Perhaps the Heroes of the Bell had actually been captured and got a crystal in the head themselves for their trouble

Best of luck with the adventure - I'm sure you'll have a great time with it!

 

[Piratecat]

Azrin, having distracted the goblin prince, backs off and starts to cast a spell – but he underestimated the trollish reach of Thimdrull, and as an AoO a casual swipe tears his head clean away from his body, slicing neatly through his garments and bones with equal ease. Blood fountains from his neck as he falls.

Holy CRAP! That's amazing! Critical? Please tell me it was a critical.

 

[Darklone]

I am beaten!

First of all kudos to the Old One for guessing the deaths!

Holy CRAP! That's amazing! Critical? Please tell me it was a critical.

Uhm... Considering the damage you need to down Azrin... and the troll strength... I don't think he needed a crit to kill him on the spot.

I am partially relieved that both players met a real heroical end. Nothing tragically like "I dropped into a hole"

*twinkles to Old Ones campaign*

 

[Plane Sailing]

Holy CRAP! That's amazing! Critical? Please tell me it was a critical.

Sorry, not a critical... the ordinary blow did about 24 damage (what with enlarged claws of the bear, trollish strength and a good damage roll).

Poor old Azrin was suffering from the 3 negative levels he picked up when raising Syl from the dead, plus damage from the fight so far here, plus some earlier half-healed wounds (he had tended to use his healing for his friends rather than himself). The damage was enough to kill him instantly.

I'm rather sad to see the clumsy and weak librarian of "Asura the Knowing" bite the dust - he was a fun character, often despised by the other characters and often facing theological disagreements with Lysander, but with a heart of gold... and able to read just about any language they came across.

Plus he was a walking plot-hook

 

[Plane Sailing]

Re: I am beaten!

I am partially relieved that both players met a real heroical end. Nothing tragically like "I dropped into a hole"

*twinkles to Old Ones campaign*

There have been a couple of near-death experiences, like when Syl was knocked off the mountainside by a boulder earlier on in the adventure - fortunately she was the one character with Featherfall! During the fight with the Bonetangle K'Tan would have gone down if he hadn't given himself affinity with a tortoise and boosted his Con considerably. Trajan nearly copped it in this battle when he got himself surrounded.

I hear that actors particularly look for good death scenes when they are checking a potential script. At least all of these guys who died have had great death scenes!

Cheers

 

[Little_Buddha]

Damn, that's a great fight. I've *yoinked* the metamorph and his power combo for sure!

... put a competing (evil) party in there who is after the same goal... at least on of them have fling capabilities for an arial assault.

Fling capabilities for an aerial assault? Damn those tinker gnomes!

 

[Ziggy]

Fling capabilities for an aerial assault? Damn those tinker gnomes!

Well, the gnome aerial assault cannon(TM) can fling any creature up to medium size with a range increment of 70. Of course you better put some points into profession(aerial assault bomb), or take serious falling damage on impact

.Ziggy

 

[Plane Sailing]

Phew!

The adventure came to it's senses-shattering conclusion last night! Fun and surprises to the very end - I'll starting writing it up tonight.

Cheers

 

[Ziggy]

Looking forward to the conclusion PS

BTW, I've decided to use In Sound Mind IMC, planned the plot hooks for my game tonight, will probably start it next game (in two weeks). But no gnome assault cannons, just plain ol' Fly...

.Ziggy

 

[Plane Sailing]

Enter the Dragon…

While Lysander, Darra and Syl free the imprisoned children and help to calm them down (Lysanders tremendous diplomacy and personality really helping here), K’tan, M’ir and Trajan approach the huge dried dragon corpse. They can see where Thimdrul flew down the gullet, and quickly circling around the back they can’t see any other way out – so they remove the spears which hold the jaws open.

K’tan and M’ir then cover Trajan with their crossbows as he starts hacking away at the side of the dragon, in roughly the location where its stomach should be. They all have pounding headaches now, and the voice which they have each been hearing in the heads is talking incessantly – threatening, wheedling, demanding.

The magical blade taken from the dragons horde starts slicing through the hard old scales. Suddenly there is a blue light leaking out from the sword rents, glowing and pulsing. Angling his cuts a little, Trajan makes an opening which he could squeeze through. Inside he can just about make out a small man clutching a melon-sized throbbing blue crystal.

“We are evenly matched” he cries. “You have spoilt my plans here, but let me free to rejoin my brotherhood and I’ll let you live!”

Trajan grimly presses through the hole he has carved, steeling himself to resist attacks – and he feels razor sharp claws slice his skin before he gets into the cramped confines himself.

M’ir can’t see to act past Trajans bulk, so calling for help he runs round to the dragons head – and as companions hoist the jaws open, he starts crawling down the dead dragons gullet in the most bizarre attempt to start a flanking manoeuvre that he has ever experienced.

In the cramped conditions inside the belly of the dragon, Trajans bulk and the size of his longsword both play against him – but he is still skilled, and lands as many blows as he receives – each one joined by a blast of white light as lawful energy ploughs into the body of Thimdrul, whose schismed mind continues to heal himself.

Sweating, knowing that one more decent blow will kill him, Trajan presses his attack, and with a critical hit thrusts his sword straight through Thimdruls chest. Thrimdrul falls, gasping for air but Trajan keeps the sword in place – lawful energy continuing to blast into the mutables body until it dies, and the energy stops coursing.

“Wow” says M’ir, who has just finished his gullet crawl. As he watches, Trajan spins his sword round and decapitates his erstwhile foe.