[Troubleshooting] Shadows of the Last War

[starkad]

So, my group has finished the Shadows of the Last War module now...

And I've got a small problem. The group's artificer insists on keeping the creation pattern, and not telling Elaydren about it.

Not having read the next module, yet... Will this screw stuff up?

 

[Zephyrus]

from what I've seen, No. It wont.... However, I've not seen Grasp of the Emerald Claw yet so I cant be sure. Pattern et-al. have no impact realy in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade (The encounter on the lightning rail has couple of explainations). My biggest worry would be with Grasp of the Emerald Claw and what happens their. Since that is not due out till next year....

You could reinforce to the artificer that the pattern is useless w/o the peices that go in it and he cant just 'make his own'. You can also perhaps offer an additional incentive for the pattern. Perhaps having her inquire if they found it their (claiming that it was one of several places the Bonal's Journal suggested it may reside as a way of it 'comming up in conversation', and suggesting their would be a reward for it, Maybe promise to retrieve some of that adamantine from the door down in the Forgotten Forge as payment, I'm sure an Artificer might like a suited of Adamantine Breast Plate armor, yeah its a big bribe but in return beat up on him a bit more for a few encounters).

Besides, Artificer characters seem to get a little screwed following adventures cause theirs often not enough time for them to use their Craft pools (usually when they've got the time, they dont have the cash, and vice versa). So their craft reserve goes to waste cause they level up before have time/money enough to make something.

Thats was my experience aways..

 

[starkad]

Thanks Zeph.

I have stressed to him that the pattern is useless without the 4 schema, and even went so far as to tell him that he has no idea what it ultimately makes. He wants to study it, though. I don't want to hamper their creativity, so I am going with it, but I am reducing the reward a little bit as a result. (From 2,000 to 1,000 since it says she gives a reduced reward for only the creation pattern of 1,000).

Also, I am having the party speaker make bluff rolls when she asks if they found anything else, and giving her a sense motive roll. I don't want to screw them, but they'd be outright lying to her face (the cleric of the silver flame, LG, in the group won't like that one bit).

I've altered the adventures in such a way as to allow a couple/few weeks between each module to let the artificer make his goods, and not hinder him. One compromise we were working on, was allowing his artificer pool to 'spill over' DURING a module... So if he leveled during a module twice, he wouldn't be penalized for it. But the instant I read the intro to the next module, the pool from the previous level goes bye-bye. We haven't put it into play yet, but it sounds like it might work.

I'm still stumped, though. The artificer refuses to tell the group what the creation pattern does.

 

[Zephyrus]

Those are some good approaches. Since no one (not even the GM) knows what hte dang pattern does, I'm not sure what he'll garner from it. I guess we'll have to wait for Grasp of the emerald claw. However. One thing I've noticed in ebberon is a slight tendacy to do the 'Ronin' effect (from the Movie "Ronin" where even at the end of the movie, no one knows what was in the dang case!! that a couple dozen people died over). So you might could do anything with it. Or hold off him finding anything useful till much much later.

The way of handling the craft reserve is not bad.. I ended up giving him half a missed level's craft reserve (from 3rd to 4th) and will let him buy a Homoculus Dedicated Wright for free as compensation.

 

[Zephyrus]

Those are some good approaches. Since no one (not even the GM) knows what hte dang pattern does, I'm not sure what he'll garner from it. I guess we'll have to wait for Grasp of the emerald claw. However. One thing I've noticed in ebberon is a slight tendacy to do the 'Ronin' effect (from the Movie "Ronin" where even at the end of the movie, no one knows what was in the dang case!! that a couple dozen people died over). So you might could do anything with it. Or hold off him finding anything useful till much much later.

The way of handling the craft reserve is not bad.. I ended up giving him half a missed level's craft reserve (from 3rd to 4th) and will let him make/get a Homoculus Dedicated Wright for free as compensation.

 

[fredramsey]

double post

 

[fredramsey]

Shadows of the Last War - description question

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the "rotator rooms". The descriptions aren't clear to me, and there is not really an illustration as to how they work. Where is the control panel? If it is a 20' diameter sphere, how do you get to the opening if it is on the side?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks.

 

[reveal]

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the "rotator rooms". The descriptions aren't clear to me, and there is not really an illustration as to how they work. Where is the control panel? If it is a 20' diameter sphere, how do you get to the opening if it is on the side?

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks.

Think of a giant hamster ball with the hole in the top for the hamster to go into. When the hamster moves forward (when the pc puts the right key into the right slot) the hole moves in that direction (the hole moves to the opening for the hallway that is associated with the slot). The hamster moves with the ball (the room turns slow enough that the PCs can walk with it).

I put the control panels on the wall next to the openings. That way they could move with the rest of the room and still be accessible by the PCs.

 

[fredramsey]

Except when the hole is at the top. And if you were standing at the bottom of a sphere, and the hallway was on the side, it would still be above you...

Think of a giant hamster ball with the hole in the top for the hamster to go into. When the hamster moves forward (when the pc puts the right key into the right slot) the hole moves in that direction (the hole moves to the opening for the hallway that is associated with the slot). The hamster moves with the ball (the room turns slow enough that the PCs can walk with it).

I put the control panels on the wall next to the openings. That way they could move with the rest of the room and still be accessible by the PCs.

 

[reveal]

Except when the hole is at the top. And if you were standing at the bottom of a sphere, and the hallway was on the side, it would still be above you...

The only time the hole is ever on the top is when the PCs first get into it and there's a ladder leading into the hole. I ruled that the ladder was actually welding into the side of the sphere and part of it moved with the sphere. So the PCs could get to the panel using the ladder.

Otherwise, the hole was always at the level of the PCs whenever they went into a tunnel, regardless of which 3 spheres they were using. There was no way to get the hole in a position that was not accessible by the PCs.