Whispering Cairn - need help (spoilers)

[Herremann the Wise]

Do you have a Bard/Cleric in the party who can cast silence? Have they used up their Wand of Shatter? Do they have two people in the party handy with ranged weapons? A character that can cast Resist Energy (Sonic)?

The way how I played this with my group was to hit them as hard and as unfairly as possible! Flying, at range, blasting away at helpless non-flying PCs. The group quickly retreated, regrouped, talked tactics then went back better prepared the following day and fought the good fight with no deaths.

If you feel your party needs help, you should make a "knowledge" check for the most suitable PC in regards to the Ceramic Armor and the Wand of Shatter. This brings their AC into line rather than being at the very difficult range. A silence spell negates the sonic attacks instantly, forcing the wind warriors into melee. Still, the two warriors are very nasty melee combatants. I upped the danger level by having the warriors attempt to bull-rush the PCs off the walkways too. (If you're worried about this killing someone, surreptitiously have the bull-rush on the PC wearing the Ring of Featherfall.)

In regards to NIghtfall, I think he had it pretty much right. Play the encounter as written and trust your PCs. It's tough but so should it be considering that these guys are trying to protect a most important tomb. As long as you can fairly help them with knowledge that their characters could most likely deduce, they should have one hell of a battle - tough but enjoyable. A perfect finish to a tough but excellently written module.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Gold Roger]

Now I don't have the adventure, but I'm with the "just run it" crowd.

In a situation like that a PC or two could die, yes.

But if every fight is only ever toned down so it won't need some special thinking, fighting grows boring, doesn't it? If a party only ever does "hit them till they die", I personaly don't have much fun from that. But then, I'm a tactician player.

Still, at level three a party should carry ranged weapons with them and be ready to regroup and realize what that staff of shatter can do here?

As far as I know the whole AoW adventure path is quite a grinder. If you spare them know, they won't toughen up and improve their strategy and that means at the next hard spot you will have to do it again and the one thereafter and thereafter, the gap between PC performanceand adventure expectations steadily growing.

When pushed often enough, players can be unbelievably recourcefull. But if not, they can grow quite dim and worse, they might grow bored with fights.

There are people that don't give a damn about geting challenged. If your group is made completey from such people, forget about everything I've said. Otherwise, go for it, you may get to know a new side of one of your players.

I once had a player who seemed to be totally uninterested in fights and the rules (hell, sometimes she would do nothing but hide for half a fight), but sometimes she was tactically very inspired and creative, turned the whole fight and enjoyed doing so.