tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34173072882142034102024-03-14T04:58:46.801+08:00My RealmsScrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-46984305275219095012017-02-14T20:16:00.001+08:002017-02-14T20:16:24.389+08:00Starter Set Sandbox 19 - The City of Neverwinter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYsTfretHpd-dZh4MhPNoG0f6VXwcz3527VaKZ5NH4EvMr2fxVWs9JgMhA-Qtt9NldtpT37I-zxpbpT1ovHzKm_-DSPeWWk5dqOaqvThEMbYvTkP1ub-fDA9373uVXA0Mi99DfuQtqg4/s1600/neverwinter+cityscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYsTfretHpd-dZh4MhPNoG0f6VXwcz3527VaKZ5NH4EvMr2fxVWs9JgMhA-Qtt9NldtpT37I-zxpbpT1ovHzKm_-DSPeWWk5dqOaqvThEMbYvTkP1ub-fDA9373uVXA0Mi99DfuQtqg4/s1600/neverwinter+cityscape.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">For some strange reason, the city of
Neverwinter was never properly mapped in an RPG product until 4E's</span> <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i><span lang="EN-GB">, and it was really only described in</span> <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> <span lang="EN-GB">and
then</span> <i>The North</i> <span lang="EN-GB">boxed set (the latter product was essentially a copy-and-paste
version of the former).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">It was, however, subsequently mapped and
described in the original</span> <i>Neverwinter
Nights</i> <span lang="EN-GB">and the CRPG's strategy guide(s). That
means that there is not a lot of canon material - and in my version of the
Realms, I avoid the CRPGs, in the main, as a source of canon - to draw upon but</span> <i>Volo's Guide</i><span lang="EN-GB">, in particular, gives a few great ideas from the pre-Spellplague
era that can complement the great job WotC did with the</span> <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i><span lang="EN-GB">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">This is the final post in my</span> <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/5E%20Starter%20Set">Starter
Set sandbox series</a> <span lang="EN-GB">and is, clearly, long
overdue. At first the delay was caused by my desire to finish my first
Neverwinter campaign but then the combination of Third World internet and a new
baby kept me from returning to blogging... especially when I also knew that
this was going to be an extremely long post. I suspect I will also have to go
back and edit this post because most of it was typed in 2015 so some of the
links and whatnot may no longer work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">If you haven't read any of the other posts
in this series, the <</span><a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/07/starter-set-sandbox-0-introduction.html">table
of contents can be found here</a><span lang="EN-GB">>. The</span> <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/5E%20Starter%20Set">5E Starter
Set tag</a> <span lang="EN-GB">will also pull up a list of all the
posts, but not as conveniently as the</span> <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/07/starter-set-sandbox-0-introduction.html">ToC</a><span lang="EN-GB">. And if this post is too long, just buy</span> <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> <span lang="EN-GB">and steal all your Neverwinter adventure ideas from that book. :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Neverwinter: Ruins of Adventure</b></u></span></div>
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While TSR may have been horribly managed, one thing it was able to do that WotC doesn't look it's ever going to be able to do is to find good partners to produce CRPGs. Of course, that was back in the days when computer games were relatively small time, and not part of an industry that (apparently?) exceeds studio films with respect to revenues (although the Marvel films may have changed that).</div>
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The first of the so-called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_of_Radiance_%28series%29">Gold Box games</a> was <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_of_Radiance">Pool of Radiance</a></i> which also had a related D&D adventure published called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruins_of_Adventure"><i>FRC1 Ruins of Adventure</i></a>. I had intended to post a link to the PDF on dndclassics.com but, for some strange reasons, it isn't there. Odd. That said, as with all of the TSR adventures and thanks to WotC's stupidity in pulling PDFs from sale for about five years, it's only a Google search away. The link is to the Wikipedia page instead. Also, the Wikipedia article notes that the CRPG was based on the tabletop adventure and not the other way around. Interesting.</div>
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The adventure's structure is simple: the city of Phlan and the surrounding region are divided up into regions/districts/locations/what have you and each of those regions/districts/locations/what have you includes one or more threats. The end of the adventure sees you fighting the final boss monster: a bronze dragon possessed by what might be referred to in 4E and 5E terms as an evil primordial.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Neverwinter</i></span></td></tr>
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I find that this basic structure works really well with Neverwinter and you can see echoes of it in the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i>. And this really long-winded introduction is basically my way of saying: this post turns Neverwinter into <i>Ruins of Adventure</i> with your PCs accepting quests (or motivating themselves) to clear various zones of the assorted riff-raff that make those zones unsafe for rebuilding by the new ruler of Neverwinter, whoever that may be.</div>
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<b>Who Rules Neverwinter?</b></div>
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The <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> has Dagult Neverember, the Open Lord of Neverwinter, ruling Neverwinter as the Lord Protector and claiming some sort of blood-related link to the last (and maybe only) king of Neverwinter, Nasher Alagondar. That's definitely an option.</div>
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With my current Neverwinter campaign, I used Dagult but I made him a cultist of Graz'zt whose fortune was tied to his membership of the heretical cult of Graz'zt at the heart of the church of Waukeen. (In other words, in my version of the Realms, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waukeen">Waukeen remained Graz'zt's prisoner after the 2E era and the adventure <i>For Duty & Deity</i> never happened</a>.) </div>
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If either the official Dagult Neverember or my cultist Dagult Neverember are not to your taste, you could also have Neverwinter ruled by a governor on behalf of the Lords' Alliance. This could work really well in the 5E era if you are using factions. (I hope to be starting another Neverwinter/Twilit Land campaign with a new group this year and I am planning to use this for that campaign... although I am actually thinking of having a council of five or so governors, not all of whom share the same objectives....)</div>
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If you're setting your campaign in the 5E era, which seems to be about a decade after the 4E era, another option is that the rightful Alagondar heir has been found and is now seeking to rebuild his or her city... and is likely also needing protections from assassins or whatnot.</div>
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On the subject of factions, I have been a fan of the Zhentarim since the OGB. A city like Neverwinter with coastal access and roads leading to Waterdeep and the Dessarin Valley would be attractive from the perspective of their trade interests: what if a Zhentarim pawn is Neverwinter's lord instead?</div>
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I suppose I could keep posting ideas - and I may edit some more in later - but I think it's important point to decide who is ruling Neverwinter and what his or her real motivations may be. Ideally, those motivations should also tie into elements of the background of one or more of the PCs. <br />
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If you're looking for inspiration about how to include politics in any campaign, I strongly recommend <<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpiT6RTlLYc">this video</a>> and <<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYlLTtS-tfQ">this video</a>> by Matt Colville.</div>
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<b>Who is the End Boss?</b></div>
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In the spirit of <i>Ruins of Adventure</i>, the idea of an end boss who is ultimately responsible for many of the threats that the city is facing is an attractive one. IMC, it was Graz'zt, or at least an aspect of Graz'zt, and that has worked out well so far in terms of inspiring various encounters and providing a link between various events that otherwise seem unrelated.</div>
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Do you want the same in your game?</div>
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The Zhentarim can, of course, fulfil such a role and I have already mentioned them in the previous section about who rules Neverwinter. If your game is going to draw on material from the Neverwinter MMORPG, then the ex-Arcane Brotherhood-and-now-Thayan lich Valindra Shadowmantle might prove to be suitable. My next campaign is likely to be focussed on the threat posted by the aboleth of The Chasm (see my notes below) which means it's going to feel a lot like 2E's <i>Night Below</i> and the aboleth are going to be the final boss monsters, plural.</div>
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<b>What about the MMORPG?</b></div>
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I have never played games online so I don't know much about the <i>Neverwinter</i> MMORPG, <i>per se</i>; I have, however, used some of the YouTube videos, screenshots, and (most of all) concept art to provide visual cues for my Neverwinter campaign. I can recommend those and a couple of the concept art pieces are used in this post (including the one at the top).<br />
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I also imagine there are adventure/quest ideas that can be stolen from the <i>Neverwinter</i> walkthrough guides or wikias. (I remember strategy guides for the pre-online Blizzard games: does <i>Neverwinter </i>have one?)</div>
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<b>What are the Zones?</b></div>
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Based on the map I posted above, these are the adventuring zones I have divided the city into:</div>
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<li>Blacklake District</li>
<li>Castle Never</li>
<li>The Chasm</li>
<li>The Docks (not marked on the map but this is where you can see the Beached Leviathan and Driftwood Tavern)</li>
<li>Fisher's Float</li>
<li>Neverdeath</li>
<li>Pirates' Skyhold</li>
<li>Protector's Enclave</li>
<li>River District (this is known as the Tower District in the MMORPG)</li>
<li>Upland Rise </li>
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The rest of this post will provide some notes on opportunities and threats in each of these zones. I should also mention that the rest of this post will make more sense if you have access to 4E's <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> and 2E's <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> but I will try and include enough material so you can make sense of my suggestions even if you have only one or neither.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Blacklake District</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3Df6i_XeRhmgvtei0HXA6a-mkYvyLCpEOnOJ3wN58HGImwtWs7H3uWzmttJPCOpdr_IRFtQ_1hGPb8RwGfBT25WTT2EDcGoyMF7akYaAQR2Y-FINiQnpTkBlK3EXy4ZTkNAm-Uquhoo/s1600/100020+-+Chapter+4+-+Welcome+to+Unther%252C+Worm%2521+-+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3Df6i_XeRhmgvtei0HXA6a-mkYvyLCpEOnOJ3wN58HGImwtWs7H3uWzmttJPCOpdr_IRFtQ_1hGPb8RwGfBT25WTT2EDcGoyMF7akYaAQR2Y-FINiQnpTkBlK3EXy4ZTkNAm-Uquhoo/s200/100020+-+Chapter+4+-+Welcome+to+Unther%252C+Worm%2521+-+Final.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I may be tackling the zones in alphabetical order, but this is definitely a great place to start. Why? It has sewers and wererats, two staples of any urban D&D campaign or adventure.</div>
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Dealing with the wererats, of course, can easily become the primary focus of adventures in Blacklake District, but rival thieves' guilds can also play a part. IMC, I had a band of halflings down by the docks that was able to survive against the wererats in large part because their leader was a halfling vampire. (These were the Kneecappers. The vampire's attack involved knocking someone prone and then feeding from the femoral artery.)</div>
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Beyond combat, there is the problem of the Blacklake itself. It's a toxic mess and resettling the district really requires that the lake itself get a clean-up but how to do that? There's a relatively obscure nature deity in FR responsible for, <i>inter alia</i>, pure waters named Eldath. There's an even more obscure reference to a temple of hers in 2E's <i>Prayers from the Faithful</i> which places the Fastness of Green Shadows in the Neverwinter Wood. <br />
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What if the PCs are given a quest to cleanse Blacklake and told to seek out the Chaunteans of Upland Rise (see below) to ask their assistance in cleaning up the mess? The Chaunteans cannot help but point the PCs in the directions of the Eldathyn of the Fastness of Green Shadows. The Eldathyn are willing to help but, as committed pacifists, they are unable to deal with a problem that their temple is facing. If the PCs deal with that on behalf of the Eldathyn, they give/loan the PCs an Eldathyn relic which will clean Blacklake. (IMC, I would probably also require a ritual... and then have foul horrors hiding in Blacklake attack while the ritual is being performed. YMMV.)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Castle Never</b></u></span></div>
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Despite its prominence on the city
map and in the art I showed my players on my laptop - oh, and the fact
that it is also on the cover of the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> -
in 20+ sessions of our Neverwinter campaign they have never once asked a
question about it or tried to explore it or even noticed that it was
there.</div>
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Odd</div>
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They
were greatly surprised when I used that as part of the campaign's
story: basically, Castle Never became the focus of the ritual that
Graz'zt was preparing and part of that ritual had the side-effect of
causing people to essentially forget about the tower. It seems an
in-game ritual had an out-of-game effect....</div>
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<b>Megadungeon</b></div>
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As it is highly unlikely that other players would do the same thing, I won't recommend that idea for anyone else. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpPZt9NvtvNVfguA1n8dljIiu760xObCimKT2TGBisPQN9UrqluzWno2zVr8XzF04nU_J6PdYwREvbeke2sZmnuiNR7CatlBQKtyp2PNVW-WHB04GYmsd-4kOIDD_tgYXjvRDsBoAS7Q/s1600/chris-dien-concept-env-castle-never-v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpPZt9NvtvNVfguA1n8dljIiu760xObCimKT2TGBisPQN9UrqluzWno2zVr8XzF04nU_J6PdYwREvbeke2sZmnuiNR7CatlBQKtyp2PNVW-WHB04GYmsd-4kOIDD_tgYXjvRDsBoAS7Q/s200/chris-dien-concept-env-castle-never-v3.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Concept Art for Castle Never</i></span></td></tr>
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What
I would recommend, especially for anyone running 5E or (other) old
school D&D/AD&D rules is that you turn it into a megadungeon.
Assume the Red Wizards of Thay unleashed some evil magic there and go a
bit wild in the traditions of, <i>inter alia</i>, <i>Castle Greyhawk </i>and <i>The Ruins of Undermountain</i>.</div>
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Such a megadungeon would be fairly undead-heavy in terms of encounters, but you could also have living Thayans conducting experiments, constructs they use as a guardians, weird magical effects that are the side-effects of Thayan experiments, summoned creatures that guard certain areas, and even orcs and gnolls that the Thayans have here as living guards.</div>
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Also, the Neverwinter Nine - Nasher Alagondar's legendary bodyguards - are entombed beneath Castle Never. Both the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> and the MMORPG turn them into undead as a result of Thayan necromancy: go a step further and make them into death knights! Make the crypts of Castle Never a place to be really feared... but match the danger of the encounters with the best loot in true megadungeon style. <<i><a href="https://cdna0.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/000/563/892/small/chris-dien-concept-char-neverwinter-nine.jpg?1426887749">Link to Neverwinter Nine concept art.</a></i>><br />
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While my own campaigns are focussed on story and much small adventure locations, I still like the idea of Castle Never as a megadungeon in the tradition of, particularly, <i>The Ruins of Undermountain</i> because it offers players a chance to do "normal" D&D adventures even if only for a session or two. My own players sometimes need a break from plots and simply need to explore and fight for a session or so. </div>
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(This actually motivated one of the best sessions of our <i>Neverwinter</i> campaign where they fought a large orc war band and balor in a canyon filled with tar pits. While I tied it in to an important plot point, it really was something they did because they just wanted to fight some orcs for a change. I even avoided orc spellcasters of any sort just to make it simpler... but I also threw in the balor because that's what evil DMs do.)</div>
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Similarly, after the smaller adventure locations of <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i>, in the main, perhaps your players might also be ready for an old school megadungeon?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Chasm</b></u></span></div>
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It's fair to say that I love The Chasm: the idea of this rift leading down to the Underdark in the middle of a city is simply rife with adventure possibilities.<br />
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There is, of course, the challenge of simply getting to the bottom. What does that mean in <i>your</i> Neverwinter? In mine it meant using climbing harnesses and going down an earthmote then crossing the earthmote and repeating the process with the climbing harnesses. (This super-cautious approach was driven by the desire of the players to simply avoid any possibility of falling... but at the cost of time.)<br />
<br />
If you choose the same set-up in <i>your</i> Neverwinter, are any of the earthmotes or similar horizontal platforms inhabited? An adventure like 3E's <i>The Sunless Citadel</i> would make sense in a place like The Chasm: perhaps the PCs spy the entrance on the way down or are attacked by the kobolds or goblins that lair in that place?<br />
<br />
The primary question to answer, though, is this: <i>What's at the bottom of The Chasm?</i> In the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> the answer was plaguechanged creatures including plaguechanged aboleth but I imagine a lot of 5E and other DMs don't want to touch the Spellplague. <br />
<br />
I also went with plaguechanged creatures but the highlight for my group was The Sinister Spire. <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/50001/DD2-The-Sinister-Spire-35"><i>The Sinister Spire</i></a> was one of the good 3.5E adventures published by WotC toward the end of that edition and, thus, sadly often overlooked.<br />
<br />
Assuming I do run another Neverwinter campaign, I suspect I will actually use the Seven-Pillared Hall from 4E's <i>H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth</i> as I suspect I won't be using plaguechanged creatures again.<br />
<br />
Anyway, aside from some sort of Underdark trading post, The Chasm is an easy introduction to the Underdark with a safe city only a short climb away. My players encountered troglodytes, aboleth, a gelatinous cube, giant bats, skum, and even dwarven guardian golems plus the drow-flavoured encounters of <i>The Sinister Spire</i> (drow, duergar, spiders, quaggoths etc...). I also threw in some more interesting areas - slaadi vs githzerai where the Elemental Chaos was "leaking" into Toril, hook horror nest, winged sword-armed thing hives etc... - but the PCs stayed with their primary mission and chose not to explore. Hopefully your players and my group will be more adventurous because The Chasm has the potential to be one of the major adventure locations in Neverwinter.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Chasm V2</b></u></span><br />
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In the campaign that I ran in Neverwinter, my players inadvertently - and, to this day - unknowingly broke the elemental bindings that were holding a city of aboleth in the petrified state known as the Long Dreaming and described in 3.5E's <i>Lords of Madness</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9fut5AMs-F5iLpuvXvZAjatwM0_9MVKgSwfBt9H7clQzbx8-KDOr36k8DKAYpdaTXT4uTrsFlQqqYj6EVgQ9lmv7Ap5KpWvCMqyeEDtOHHgVnF6YSUPttIYTWLeaTC-xNfadyQTccdA/s1600/Map+-+City+1480%252C+Chasm+filled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9fut5AMs-F5iLpuvXvZAjatwM0_9MVKgSwfBt9H7clQzbx8-KDOr36k8DKAYpdaTXT4uTrsFlQqqYj6EVgQ9lmv7Ap5KpWvCMqyeEDtOHHgVnF6YSUPttIYTWLeaTC-xNfadyQTccdA/s200/Map+-+City+1480%252C+Chasm+filled.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
(The entire set-up - including the city's name of Golismorga - was stolen from an adventure in the Savage Tide adventure path from the pages of the physical<i> Dungeon</i> magazine. Credit where credit is due, and all that.)<br />
<br />
The consequences of this mistake were never explored in that campaign but, if I ever return to Neverwinter, it's definitely going to be a major story arc.<br />
<br />
To that end, I used my kindergarten-level Paint skills to fill the Chasm with water: Yes, I was going to make it very easy for the aboleth to have access to Neverwinter. I thought that I might run an adaptation the 3E adventure <i>The Speaker in Dreams</i> and replace the illithid BBEG with one or more aboleth from the now flooded city of Golismorga. I suspect 2E's <i>Night Below</i> boxed set could provide further inspiration for a major aboleth plot as well.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The Docks</b></u></span></div>
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So, you're new in Neverwinter and you need a place to stay. Where will that be? If money is tight, chances are you're going to start at the Docks as my PCs did. And the Beached Leviathan - see the picture to the left - is perfect for that because 1. there's a really good picture of it, 2. there are really good maps for it, and 3. there was a DDi article published for it describing it in detail. (And, yes, you do need to be a DDi subscriber to legally download that article... or you can just use Google and grab it anyway. And, no, I am not advocating piracy: I've actually grabbed DDi articles this way by mistake when I have forgotten to include the WotC site in my Google search.)<br />
<br />
The Docks are a great place to start because they're a bit lawless. Press-gangs and pirates roam here, and it's the ideal place for an essentially consequence-free tavern brawl. Further, if sahuagin attack the city - always a good idea for a city on a coast if you're a DM - then they will naturally target the Docks.<br />
<br />
I had a halfling gang led by a halfling wererat vampire terrorising the docks and I can heartily recommend something similar to any other DMs. The Dead Rats of Blacklake District (see above) may also have increased their influence in this area so wererats could be another threat.<br />
<br />
But I think slavers and press-gangs are the way to go. That and a sahuagin attack at some point.<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Fisher's Float</u></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The fisherfolk can make a fun diversion
which is certainly the way I ran this location in my campaign. Most fishermen I
have ever met have been a little bit crazy – and that is not an insult! –
largely because their job involves risking their lives in a way that few, even
soldiers, would ever understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">So I made it something of a party place with
wagon races, gambling, and whatnot. But it was also a source of information
about things on the Sword Coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I’m hoping to run another campaign in
Neverwinter this year and I plan to reuse the crazed one-eyed dwarven fisherman
I used in my last game but, this time, have him talk about the dwarven dungeons
behind the cliff that faces Fisher’s Float. With a successful Perception check,
the PCs will be able to see the last weathered remnants of dwarven carvings on
the cliff which will hopefully lead them to investigate further. Sea level
changes in the thousands of years since Haunghdannar was a living kingdom will
mean that the entrance is now underwater. (I’ve wanted to include an underwater
entrance to a dungeon for decades and I honestly don’t know why I haven’t done
it yet!) My version of Haunghdannar makes it a dwarven realm focussed on the
elements – based on some references to Madbeards in FR5 The Savage Frontier –
so I would have the dungeon reflect that, possibly something inspired by the
Temple<i> of Elemental Evil</i> but smaller in scale and with an actual
elemental theme running through the dungeon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As a fairly large earthmote, it would also
make sense for Fisher’s Float to include a classic dungeon or two (or more). This
might even be linked by portal to the dwarven dungeon behind the cliff face
opposite the ‘Float thus providing another means of accessing that location. Perhaps
this could be the starter adventure for a new campaign where the PCs are hired
by the fisherfolk to come to the ‘Float and end the threat being posed by some
creatures that have now found a way to the surface. Basic stuff, but it could
be a nice starter adventure that can conclude with a wild wagon-racing party on
the earthmote. The party is likely to be more memorable than the bog standard
dungeon!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">(I’m actually glad I returned to finishing
this blog post because I think this idea of building a dwarven dungeon with an
elemental theme between the mainland behind the cliff face and in the centre of
the ‘Float, with the two parts linked by portal, is just the sort of starter
adventure I am personally looking for. If I ever write it up, I may just have
to link it here.)</span></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Neverdeath</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">While Castle Never can be the site for
high-level undead-flavoured adventures, the graveyards of Neverdeath should be
suitable for low- and mid-level PCs to give them their first taste of fighting
zombies, ghouls, and similar undead.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So, a graveyard in a D&D world is
expected to have undead but the question becomes: Who or what is responsible
for the undead?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Personally, I like the idea of a cult of
Orcus setting up shop. This is not simply because of the link between Orcus and
the undead, but because I have already mentioned my use of a cult of Graz’zt at
the heart of the church of Waukeen with that cult controlling both the
Waukeenar and Lord Neverember. Orcus is opposed to Graz’zt so his cult is here
to also oppose the schemes of the Dark Prince. That could even lead to the foul
necromantic cult in the middle of the graveyard becoming a key ally and source
of information should the PCs decide to take on the cult of Graz’zt. I could
even imagine a situation where the thralls of Orcus seek to parley in the
middle of combat offering to trade the knowledge of the true source of
Neverember’s power for the right to continue unhindered in the cemetery for a
certain period of time. There’s nothing quite like a bit of abyssal intrigue to
keep the players on their toes….</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Of course, the cult is not only trying to
thwart the schemes of Graz’zt but also buy time so they can complete their
rituals to summon an aspect of Orcus who would lead their undead forces to
conquer Neverwinter. Or something like that. It’s basic stuff but it still
works.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I had an extensive maze of ghoul-dug
tunnels beneath Neverdeath in my last campaign which I found made for an
interesting, claustrophobic adventuring environment. It’s not something you
would want to visit session after session but it made for a good “one off”
adventure. It might be even more “interesting” if you include, say, a vampire’s
tomb in the centre of the tunnels with said vampire not only wanting fresh
blood but wanting to convert one or more PCs into vampire spawn.</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Pirates' Skyhold</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This became one of my favourite locations
in the last campaign because it ended up being the party’s safe refuge. They
met an eladrin cleric of Selûne, Lady Moonsilver, whom they never discovered
was a dragon in disguise. Lady Moonsilver became their confidant and
quest-giver motivated by her status as a follower of Selûne wanting to restore
hope to Neverwinter and thus defeat the nihilistic goals of the followers of
Shar. (While the Selûne vs Shar rivalry didn’t affect that campaign much, it
was there in my background notes in case the PCs ended up investigating the
lost flying city of Xinlenal in the Neverwinter Wood.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Riffing off the “pirates” part of the
location’s name, I also included a flying ship in the ruins on the earthmote.
Unfortunately, the players forgot about it so it never became an actual part of
the campaign but it’s definitely something I would use again making the titular
pirates into sky pirates.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It’s also an obvious lair for any sort of
flying creatures. I like the idea of harpies – aka sirens – because of their
mythological roots as threats to sailors but wyverns – and just call them sea
wyverns with a swim speed – would also work. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Another option that might work, depending
on how high magic your game is, is that the Skyhold is a broken piece of the
flying city of Xinlenal that crashed in the Neverwinter Wood. Somehow, this
fragment was made to fly again and, somewhere in the ruins on the Skyhold’s
surface, is a wizard’s tower where the controls to the Skyhold can be found. Of
course, doing this would radically change your game when you have your PCs
flying around the countryside on their own flying earthmote. (And just wait
until they get the idea to send it crashing into the campaign’s biggest
threat…!)</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Protector's Enclave</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">At the beginning of this post I posed two
fundamental questions for your Neverwinter campaign: Who rules Neverwinter? Who
is the BBEG? These may inform how you approach Protector’s Enclave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Of course, if you simply have Lord
Neverember as the Lord Protector trying to do his best for “his” city, possibly
with the support of the Lords’ Alliance, Protector’s Enclave becomes a largely
safe place with higher end shops, well-policed by the Neverwinter Watch (I
would model this on the Waterdeep Watch – source material is a Google search
away or comment below), and dominated by one or more important temples.
Pre-Spellplague Neverwinter’s Hall of Justice was a temple of Tyr. If you’re
running this in the Spellplague era this might be Torm instead while the
Sundering era can see it revert to being a temple of Tyr.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But if you like evil cults like I do, the Protector’s
Enclave becomes a sinister place. Ostensibly safe and wealthy, there is a
darkness hidden behind the scenes. Because I had a cult of Graz’zt at the heart
of the dominant Waukeenar faith – and the Hall of Justice had become the
Counting House, an apt name for a Waukeenar temple but also the name of a
temple of Graz’zt in his abyssal realm of Azzagrat – Protector’s Enclave simply
didn’t feel right. Shadows were longer than they had any legitimate right to be
and sometimes could be seen moving in the corner of the PC’s eye. Abyssal
glyphs appeared in stone throughout the district, as did six-fingered black
hands seemingly burnt into the bricks on different buildings. All of these
pointed to something sinister at work. (Frankly, my players were too scared to
investigate until much later in the campaign!)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I have almost mentioned the aboleth of The
Chasm. If Neverember is in their thrall, then strange things should be afoot in
the enclave. Dreams should be weird due to the influence of the Far Realm and
perhaps aberrant cults have been formed, much like Eberron’s Cults of the
Dragon Below, among some of the rich merchants of the district. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I would also mention the 3E adventure <i>The
Speaker in Dreams</i> at this point. This is nearly perfect for Neverwinter. The
principal villain is an illithid but this is easily changed to the aboleth of
The Chasm should you choose that as a theme of your campaign (otherwise, keep
the illithid). There’s also a diabolic cult that unleashes a pillar hellfire in
the temple of Pelor and this could work in the Hall of Justice with the cult of
Graz’zt taking the place of the hellish cult. It even has wererats which makes
a good fit with Blacklake and the Docks.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It’s definitely worth a read for some
inspiration if not outright plagiarism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>River District (aka Tower District)</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In some of the earlier posts in this series
(I will edit in the links here later), I suggested increasing the threat of the
orcs in <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> and a big part of that is wanting to
make the orcs of the River District that much more important to a larger
campaign.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> has
orcs infesting the River District (this is known as the Tower District in the
MMORPG which, frankly, I think is a better name) without giving much of an explanation
as to what they are doing there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Fortunately, <i>Volo’s Guide to the North</i>
has some good ideas which can not only help explain why they are there but make
it important for the PCs to end the threat that they pose before they find the
orc macguffin and threaten the entire region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Firstly, here’s a bit of backstory about
one of the major power groups in this district pre-Spellplague: The Covenant.
The Covenant was a group of mages, led by four mages of note, that sought to
protect civilisation in the North from, inter alia, the depredations of the
orcs. A really solid explanation of them can be found <</span><a href="http://forum.candlekeep.com/post.asp?method=ReplyQuote&REPLY_ID=120396&TOPIC_ID=6067&FORUM_ID=8">here
in the George Krashos quote</a>>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Covenant also ran a School of Wizardry
(capitalisation deliberate: that is what it was called) in the River District
from where they trained the next generations of mages but also schemed to
minimise the orc threat. Part of that scheming including manipulating the
Uthgardt barbarians to launch pogroms against the orcs. (Yeah, The Covenant was
a ruthless bunch.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Covenant had some effect against the
orc kingdom of Uruth Ukrypt in the Sword Mountains. The strength of this
kingdom was a magic throne – the <i>Bone Throne of Uruth Ukrypt</i> – which
allowed a worthy orc to exercise rule over the normally chaotic orcs. My idea
was simple: What if the orcs of the River District are here simply because they
are looking for this throne so that their leader, a spellscarred female
(anathema!), can become ruler of the orcs of the North? It’s a simple idea but
it explains why the orcs are here and it means that they could even negotiate
with the PCs – “We will let you live if you tell us where the ruins of the
School of Wizardry might be.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In my game, the throne was indeed hidden in
the School of Wizardry where the mages of The Covenant had several
difficult-to-access extradimensional spaces or demiplanes. The orcs stand no
chance of opening or evening finding these spaces but they might trick the PCs
into doing it for them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you’re going to use orcs here I would
make one other suggestion: Don’t make them completely violent. I ran the orcs
as really bored so that when the bard PC offered to play ancient orc war songs
the PCs ended up spending a drunken night with them rather than simply fighting
their way through a mini-horde. Also, if they are completely violent, why
aren’t they constantly attacking the rest of the city?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Upland Rise</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Upland Rise used to be a small forest
outside the walls of Neverwinter. Now it has been clear-felled to provide
Neverwinter with building materials leaving land suitable for farming.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As a result, I not only had farmers here, I
had Chauntean farmers led by Chauntean clerics migrate here from Goldenfields.
This was also meant to be a safe haven for the PCs but also a place where they
could be paid to fight ankhegs and bulettes… and then explore the dungeons
revealed by the tunnels of these burrowing creatures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As a counterpoint to the relatively
peaceful Chaunteans, some angry druids could also make an appearance. Perhaps a
druid’s grove was destroyed by the logging operations and the druid killed. Now
that druid has returned as an undead creature and the farmers definitely need
help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Conclusion</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So, this is well-overdue as I have
mentioned but it has also become a really long post. Now that I have finished
it, I’m looking at bits that could be expanded or made more clear. Depending on
the feedback I get, and how quickly I return to Neverwinter for my own game, I
may end up writing a few more posts to try and make this a bit more coherent
and thus more useful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I've been running D&D for 35+ years
and, for me, running a campaign in Neverwinter has been one of the absolute
highlights. I am definitely looking forward to another campaign there ASAP. It
really works. You have civilised areas where your players can have their
characters feel relatively safe - barring assassins, wererats etc... - and
where Bluff and Diplomacy are king and queen, and then you have,</span> <i>inter alia</i><span lang="EN-GB">,
the wererat-filled sewers of Blacklake, the Far Realm-tainted weirdness of The
Chasm, ghoul packs in the Neverdeath graveyard, and the orc-ravaged River
District... and it all basically makes sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Of course, the purpose of this series of
posts has been to expand on the 5E starter set adventure</span> <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> <span lang="EN-GB">and I hope this post, in particular, has shown how easy it is to
expand on LMoP by simply going to Neverwinter and continuing the campaign
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-63757028992978715732017-01-14T20:49:00.002+08:002017-01-14T20:49:20.245+08:00Ritual: Raise Blog<div style="text-align: justify;">
I suppose 14 days into the New Year is possibly too late for this to be considered a New Year's Resolution but, after more than a year has passed since I last posted any content, I'm determined to make sure this blog is restored to active status in 2017.</div>
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Firstly, I want to finish the <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> series with a post based on adventuring in the city of Neverwinter. Most of it was actually written back in 2015 but never posted: I think I need to rectify that.<br /><br />Secondly, I've been running a 4E campaign set in Daggerdale that should provide fodder both for "Hey, here are some ideas about running campaigns in Daggerdale"-type posts as well as session reports. We're six sessions in already and I have decent notes so it's just a matter of turning them into blog posts ASAP.</div>
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Finally, if I get really motivated, I am thinking that the recent announcement of <i><a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwijiJ7l1MHRAhVGl5QKHRMaCygQFghMMAc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdnd.wizards.com%2Fproducts%2Ftabletop-games%2Frpg-products%2Ftales-yawning-portal&usg=AFQjCNHwBH4SDLjI3uGOj57u11GiYt2LXQ&sig2=6JlRtt6iyPrD7_RyWMpPKQ">Tales of the Yawning Portal</a></i>, a new 5E product that converts some classic and not-so-classic adventures to 5E and the Realms, might inspire a series of posts about where and how I would set those adventures in the Realms. The challenge, though, will be completing the posts BEFORE <i>Tales</i> is released.</div>
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Also, thanks for the emails and PMs encouraging me to bring this blog back to life. It still astonishes me that people actually read the stuff I write - OK, not a lot of people! - and take the time to contact me about it. Cheers!</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-42104957829724000282015-11-14T19:27:00.000+08:002015-11-14T19:28:48.923+08:00A Hi-Res Copy of the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsAzdzUUWevEvUU27Dk-g66aUXZ0MTiD3udI0bwIdSlU69wr6Yzr6U34JcoW0Z39TDaBgJ149cQSB9mLX7fjcDyY-CRUNSMXUrM1AgeyZUlq-p1sO3-i-BH4jytGZB_YMl_L_lqdsU4Q/s1600/Sword-Coast-Map_HighRes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsAzdzUUWevEvUU27Dk-g66aUXZ0MTiD3udI0bwIdSlU69wr6Yzr6U34JcoW0Z39TDaBgJ149cQSB9mLX7fjcDyY-CRUNSMXUrM1AgeyZUlq-p1sO3-i-BH4jytGZB_YMl_L_lqdsU4Q/s400/Sword-Coast-Map_HighRes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=21011">Extra Life</a>, this hi-res version of the map from SCAG has been posted <a href="http://media.wizards.com/2015/images/dnd/resources/Sword-Coast-Map_HighRes.jpg">online</a> and I thought I might share it here for convenience. While I like the artistry of it, it is disappointing that so few locations are actually labelled. In that respect it does remind me of the 4E campaign map... but you cannot compare Mike Schley's eye for detail and artistry with the smudged baby faeces look of the appalling 4E map. </div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-451225791818039162015-08-04T07:08:00.001+08:002015-08-04T07:08:11.533+08:00And it looks like we're getting a Forgotten Realms movie...<div style="text-align: justify;">
... because <<a href="http://deadline.com/2015/08/dungeons-dragons-movie-warner-bros-hasbro-lawsuit-1201490740/">this article</a>> confirms that the lawsuit between Sweetpea - holders of the rights to make D&D movies - and Hasbro has been settled while <<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/dungeons-dragons-legal-settlement-paves-812674">this article</a>> adds in some names and confirms it will be a Forgotten Realms movie:</div>
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The upcoming Warner Bros motion picture will be based on a script by David Leslie Johnson (<i>Wrath of the Titans</i>) and produced by Roy Lee (<i>The Lego Movie</i>, <i>How To Train Your Dragon</i>) with the involvement of Hasbro chief executive Brian Goldner and chief content officer Stephen Davis. It will take place in the popular D&D campaign setting of the <u><b>Forgotten Realms</b></u>.<br /><br />"We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen," said Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros Pictures. "This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property."</blockquote>
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And here's a <<a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/dungeons-dragons-movie-in-works-at-warner-bros-as-lawsuit-ends-1201555394/">third article</a>> which makes a very good point that Warner Bros, who will be backing the new movie(s) was also behind both the Harry Potter films and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I suppose that's a nice way of hinting that we may actually see a D&D movie that does not suck. </div>
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I'm really pleased about this news because this has the potential to be a door opener for my plans to introduce D&D to people where I live now who, contrary to the assertions in these articles that D&D is the best known brand in fantasy (um, no, that would be Warcraft), have absolutely no idea what it is.</div>
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Let's hope this brings in the next generation of tabletop roleplayers! </div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-43123263142928995392015-08-03T21:07:00.002+08:002015-08-04T06:53:28.734+08:00The Great Dale: Dungeons of the Demonlands 0 - (Revised) Introduction & Table of Contents<div style="text-align: justify;">
Some months ago,<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-great-dale-sandbox-0-introduction.html"> I made a vain effort to put start a new series of posts based on turning the Great Dale into a fairly old school sandbox with several large dungeons</a> just sitting there waiting to be explored. This was largely based on trying to answer the question: "What would happen if you tried to set adventures by Necromancer Games in the Forgotten Realms?"</div>
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I also had some other motivations:</div>
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<li>My <i>Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One</i> campaign was (and still is) coming to an end and I wanted to be able to offer my players something less plot-driven and more location-driven, per some of our games of decades ago. (It turns out that's not what they want! :) )</li>
<li>I live in hope of converting some of my wife's family and friends to tabletop gamers. We live in the Philippines where the real unemployment rate is around 60% (the government numbers are wrong) and a lot of people play the <i>World of Warcraft</i> clone/offshoot DotA. You would think those two data point would combine into a pool of players for D&D but it doesn't. I will probably end up bribing some of them to try....</li>
<li>Clearly 5E is very popular and I want to make sure I have something on this blog that 5E fans can use, particularly seeing how (surprisingly) popular my expansion of the <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> turned out to be. So, while I am running 4E, there is nothing here that is going to be 4E-specific: it's all just D&D. (I was hoping to fill the 5E void on this blog by expanding on <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> but I just cannot get excited about it.)</li>
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So, consider this a revision of <<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-great-dale-sandbox-0-introduction.html">this post</a>> and an attempt to outline a Great Dale-based campaign that is less sandbox but still not quite a railroad.</div>
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<span style="color: red;"><u><b>Warning:</b></u></span> This is a long post. In view of my previous botched start to a Great Dale-based series of post, I want to make sure this first post had enough content to help someone get off to a flying start with a Great Dale-based campaign even if I never post on the subject again. So, if <i>Demons & Dragons</i> in the Realms interests you, please keep reading!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Introduction</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF8HMiFtfB5Pp8lVsMTGBU2Bla2mB_LgaEhz5UFBCZ_4fkSM-c5ov0bmkrYPmXT2gguhjLoG0RnmjG1gQo7p7kEalEtdpHKg3kE2MmKe5cEBufcXsixWlUxhmeahqpw3wMsOiHEDBl4M/s1600/-+Great+Dale+941+x+613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF8HMiFtfB5Pp8lVsMTGBU2Bla2mB_LgaEhz5UFBCZ_4fkSM-c5ov0bmkrYPmXT2gguhjLoG0RnmjG1gQo7p7kEalEtdpHKg3kE2MmKe5cEBufcXsixWlUxhmeahqpw3wMsOiHEDBl4M/s200/-+Great+Dale+941+x+613.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Great Dale is described in the 4E <i>Forgotten Realms Player's Guide</i> (from which the map to the left is taken) as follows:</div>
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<i>The Great Dale is the vast, windswept vale that divides two enormous forests, the Dunwood to the north and the Forest of Lethyr to the south. The druids and other folk who inhabit the great rocky tor of Yeshelmaar are all that stand between the sparsely settled, wild southern woodlands and the festering evils of the northern forest.</i></div>
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<i><br />Trade has collapsed along the Great Road, leaving the defenders of Yeshelmaar as the last bastion of civilisation in the Great Dale. Demons that were bound beneath the Dunwood by the long-fallen Empire of Narfell now stalk the northern forest and threaten to overwhelm the wild reaches of the Forest of Lethyr. The southern woods are home to hidden wood elf villages and a handful of human settlements along the border with Thesk.</i></div>
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Three major dungeons are noted on the map: Val-Murthag, Clymph, and Dun-Tharos. These are the three dungeons I am referring to in the campaign's title of <i>Dungeons of the Demonlands</i>. And the order that I have just used to list them is also the order in which I think they are best played. More on that shortly.</div>
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<b>The Demonlands</b></div>
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For those unfamiliar with the term "Demonlands" in the context of the Forgotten Realms, these are the lands that were once part of the demon-summoning and -worshipping ancient empire of Narfell. The 4E <i>Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide</i> describes the Demonlands as follows:</div>
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<i>This region consists of isolated territories of tough folk, hardened by decades of conflict with demonic beasts and fell magic. It includes Impiltur, Damara, Vaasa, Narfell, and the Great Dale. The region saw a glimmer of hope when King Gareth Dragonsbane united Damara and Vaasa into the unified kingdom of Bloodstone, and when young King Imbrar II of Impiltur dissolved the council of paladins (the Lords of Imphras II) and began ruling unfettered by the dynastic machinations of the past. This prosperity was not to last. The assassination of Dragonsbane’s heir twenty years ago led to civil war throughout Bloodstone, allowing the patient Warlock Knights to seize control of windswept Vaasa. King Imbrar’s death and the retreat of the Inner Sea in the Year of Blue Fire ended Impiltur’s hopes. The kingdom is now firmly in the grip of the Fraternity of Tharos, a fanatical cult of demon-worshipers. Demons freely menace the Dunwood and terrorize the villages of the Great Dale and frigid Narfell.</i></div>
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If I do end up running this campaign and the players which to continue further, I would expect to add adventures in both Narfell and Impiltur possibly with a goal to permanently removing some of the evil which makes the Demonlands such an apt name for these lands.</div>
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<b>The Dungeons</b></div>
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While the <a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/pix/greatdale.jpg"><3.xE-era map></a> of the Great Dale shows several other dungeons - including Fortress Narder, the Great Barrow, and Tower Threespires - I'm just going to focus on Val-Murthag, Clymph, and Dun-Tharos, at least for now.</div>
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My plan is to give each of the locations a fairly distinctive theme to both aid in shaping my design of the dungeon and also so that the PCs can prepare accordingly. </div>
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(Each of these locations will eventually get their own blog post but I also wanted to make sure this [revised] introductory post had some meat and not just bones.) </div>
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<b>Val-Murthag</b></div>
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The FRCG says this about Val-Murthag:</div>
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<i>This sprawling city was leveled by the Raumathari long ago. Its cyclopean walls and shattered towers lie in a wild and lonely corner of the Great Dale. Little is left on the surface, but deep vaults filled with imprisoned demons and restless Nar ghosts lie beneath the city’s numerous keeps.</i></blockquote>
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3.xE's <i>Unapproachable East</i> describes it as follows:</div>
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<i>North and east of Bezentil lies the wreckage of the old fortress of Val-Murthag, one of the largest Nar ruins not covered by forest. This great castle stood watch over the eastern approaches of the Dale, a formidable rampart in the path of any attack from Raumathar to the east. Val-Murthag was a place of madness and horror, the spiritual center of the demonic cult that dominated the dark empire's final days, and Raumathari battlemages visited untold destruction on the place in the final battle of the two realms. Little of Val-Murthag remains to be seen, except for sprawling old walls of weathered black stone that run for miles across the cold downs and the shattered stumps of watchtowers amid heaps of battered stone.<br /><br />The ghosts of Nar demonpriests are said to haunt the ruins, and most of the Dalesfolk give the place a wide berth.</i></blockquote>
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My version of Val-Murthag is going to be undead-heavy, consistent with the mention of <i>restless Nar ghosts</i> (4E) and <i>ghosts of Nar demonpriests are said to haunt the ruins</i> (3.xE). I would also expect to see cultists of Orcus here and maybe even an adventure inspired by <i>Keep on the Shadowfell</i>. (While I hate that adventure and consider it to have played a major role in the failure of 3E, the basic idea of a cultist of Orcus trying to open a portal to the Shadowfell would suit this location really well.)<br />
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Beyond that, the nature of the ruins suggests a collection of mini-adventures - aka dungeon delves, aka five-room dungeons - with most having an undead and/or Orcus-related theme. There may also be room for gnoll cultists of Doresain the Ghoul-King.</div>
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<b>Clymph</b></div>
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While the map simply shows the name Clymph, the FRCG gives this location a longer name: </div>
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<i><b>Oracle of Fortress Clymph:</b> The rocks and bricks of these ruins glow red with heat, and the crackling of massive flames emanates from a central fortress. The stones of the keep are imbued with powerful protection magic, transforming the perimeter of the building into a massive magic circle. Before the Spellplague, the magic barrier contained a portal that opened to the Abyss. Though that gate has been closed for nearly a hundred years now, and most of the demonic hordes within have succumbed, fiendish presences yet linger here.</i></div>
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<i><br />In recent years, Clymph has become known as an oracle site. Those brave or desperate enough can approach the fortress’s front gate, knock three times, and wait to be addressed by a booming voice from the earth. The petitioner is allowed one question, but the answer is whispered so quietly that an ear must be laid to the gate to hear the answer. Many supplicants leave unharmed, happy with what they have learned. Others are absorbed through the gate into the fortress’s interior, never to be seen again.</i></div>
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The portal to the Abyss was open during the era in which <i>Unapproachable East</i> was set:</div>
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<i>Once a proud, walled keep, Clymph Tower has lain in ruins for as long as anyone can remember. A mighty sorcerer named Clymph built the place nearly five hundred years ago. Clymph is also believed to have constructed Tower Threespires, for the two sites have a similar architecture and were built around the same time. Clymph Tower has remained untouched for decades, though, and the locals believe it is cursed for some transgression of its fabled builder against the gods.<br /><br />The best story - or at least the one that gets repeated the most - is that Clymph was a powerful demonbinder, a student of the forbidden arts of ancient Narfell. He dreamed of forging a kingdom in the Great Dale with his demonic armies. He constructed this keep as a pen for his foul servants and imbued its very stones with abjurative magic, transforming the perimeter of the building into a massive magic circle. He then created a permanent gate directly into the Abyss. Unfortunately, Clymph was unable to control the demonic hordes he summoned, and his fiendish minions destroyed him. However, he had crafted his demon-trap so well that the fiends could not escape except through one portal leading to Tower Threespires, and that door is sealed. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of demons are still trapped in the fell tower Clymph raised centuries ago.<br /><br />Today, those few people who dare to approach the ruins report that its stones glow red with heat and that massive fire crackle from the depths. Even the most daring adventurers give the place a wide berth.</i></div>
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I wasn't a fan of the oracle idea on my first reading of the FRCG but it does offer an interesting adventure hook. But I suppose the more obvious adventure hook is to have someone trying to re-open the original <i>portal</i> to the Abyss.</div>
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The oracle idea makes me think that Clymph would be a great location to contain an imprisoned aspect of Fraz-Urb'luu, the demon prince of deception, but that doesn't quite match the description of the fiery heat of something in the tower. Of course, the two things don't have to be directly related... and Fraz-Urb'luu is known to have the ability to convince another demon that it has been summoned. What if the aspect summoned a fiery horde from the Abyss - or even a balor? - in an effort to fight off the bindings being placed upon it?</div>
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I was also thinking that this might be a good location to host a force of Red Wizards of Thay. At the end of the 3.5E era, Szass Tam slew Nevron the Zulkir of Conjuration who ended up in the Abyss as a mane. What if Nevron's descendants/loyal servants (there is a timeline issue with the latter option) are here to try and free him from the Abyss as part of a larger goal to see Szass Tam's rulership of Thay ended and the Zulkirs restored?</div>
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Beyond the Red Wizards, I imagine there are also Nar cultists of Fraz'Urb'luu present at Clymph Tower possibly trying to find a way to free the Prince of Deception.</div>
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However, it would make more sense in the context of the history of the Demonlands for Eltab to play a role in at least one of these dungeons and this one is arguably the most likely of the three. In such a case, it is Eltab - or an aspect of Eltab or one of his glabrezu or succubus servants - who provides the oracular services, so to speak. Actually, a succubus thrall of Eltab trapped in a demoncyst beneath the tower makes a lot of sense as the oracle. (And if you don't know what a demoncyst is, I explain it after <i>Dun-Tharos</i>.) </div>
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And I even have a picture of a Red Wizard thrall of Eltab....</div>
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<b>Dun-Tharos</b></div>
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The final dungeon arguably offers the most potential and maybe even deserves to be designed as a megadungeon akin to Rappan Athuk considering the role it plays in FR canon. The dumbed down version in the FRCG says this:</div>
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<i>This half-buried ancient city sprawls for miles through the pines and bogs at the heart of the Dunwood. It was once the seat of a great and terrible realm of dark keeps and sinister lords. In a war between ancient Raumathar and Narfell, some mighty spell of unspeakable power leveled the entire area. So ended the demon-haunted kingdom of Narfell.<br /> </i></div>
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<i>Nentyarchs of ages past raised a living fortress of magical trees over the ruins of Dun-Tharos, chasing off explorers lest they awaken the dire forces buried beneath. Treasures of Narfell’s baleful lords lie in deep storehouses and conjuring chambers under the old ruins. The Rotting Man drove out the Nentyarch and the Circle of Leth, disturbing those ancient secrets and, before his fall, unleashing an even worse power. </i></div>
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<i>Now demons of every shape move through the catacombs of Dun-Tharos and the forest above. Any creature that comes looking for ancient Nar treasuries risks much.</i></blockquote>
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Actually, that's not too bad a description and there is also a sidebar noting the presence of petty demon lords:</div>
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<i>Several powerful demons claim territory above and below Dunwood. Two of them are briefly described here.<br /><b>Eschar:</b> A powerful demon who commands others of its ilk in Dun-Tharos, Eschar is similar in form to a big, scaled ogre. A crown of horns protrudes from its head and glows with fiendish light. Evil pulses from Eschar like a heartbeat ringing up from the depths.<br /><b>The Queen Abiding:</b> Also claiming power in Dun-Tharos, the Queen Abiding is a blot of darkness a dozen yards across when she expands to her full diameter. The chill of coldest winter enshrouds her.</i></blockquote>
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I could probably use Eschar if I need a big dumb brute<i> and The Queen Abiding</i> might make for an interesting sub-level of the dungeon-proper.</div>
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<i>Unapproachable East</i> provided a bit more detail:</div>
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<i>Once the capital of the ancient Empire of Narfell, Dun-Tharos sprawls for miles through the pines and hogs at the heart of the Rawlinswood. From this place, the Nentyarchs (as the rulers of ancient Narfell were known) ruled a great and terrible realm of dark keeps and proud, sinister lords. Dun-Tharos was laid waste in the final cataclysmic war between Raumathar and Narfell, the entire city leveled by some mighty spell of unspeakable power. So ended the Nentyarchs and their demon-haunted kingdom.<br /><br />Centuries passed, and the forest grew over the great black scar in its heart. A group of druids and rangers - the Circle of Leth - undertook the work of healing the wounded land, Their leader took the title of Nentyarch anew to signify that the druids of Leth ruled over the heart of ancient Narfell. In the ruins of Dun-Tharos, the new Nentyarchs raised a fortress to govern the great forest. The black keep of the old demonpriests was reborn as a castle of living trees, woven by druidic magic.<br /><br />From this forest-castle the Nentyarchs ruled for nearly six hundred years, preserving the Forest of Lethyr and the Rawlinswood from encroachment by human kingdoms on all sides. The ruins of the old Nar capital reminded the druids of humanity's ability to harm nature, and the forest that had swallowed its black stones offered an example of what might be accomplished with patience and strength.<br /><br />All things come to an end, though. Ten years ago, the Rotting Man, Chosen of Talona, began to gather a circle of dark druids in the western reaches of the Rawlinswood. The Circle of Leth fought against the rising power of the blightlords and contained the Rotting Man in the west, but two years ago the Rotting Man created a terrible new weapon to use against the Nentyarch - the blight of Talona. He corrupted a handful of captured Leth druids, changing them into blightlords who serve him. Through these tortured minions, he ensnared hundreds of volodnis and infected them with Talona's blight. At Midwinter in 1371 DR he hurled his blightspawned army at the Nentyarch's fortress and drove the Circle of Leth out of the Rawlinswood.<br /><br />Dun-Tharos is still a castle of trees, but they are now dead, animated through the Rotting Man's foul sorcery. Hundreds of his minions lurk in the ruins of Narfell's old capital, ready to surge forth and slay at his command. His blightspawned warriors slaughtered the small community of Denderdale, north of the forest, only two months ago, and bands of evil volodnis harry the clanholds and farmsteads south of his forest. Dun-Tharos has become a place of death and madness once again.</i></div>
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I must admit, I would not have updated that write-up for 4E and I might keep the Rotting Man... but I would make him a dark druid of Demogorgon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzG3r5DzTIMwb6quu5ZV_sDeQAJcnHewK3tfMsqPT8Ly36FRuSJ7vR_vqzEt_MBWS_R4ND6o4ErIJ_iFfnVYwKE9wrkmzHPx8DxD21hVE8XXUlM2H5jXjEor3lDjeMYlglzvIKjd1kMI/s1600/DemogorgonRising_0.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzG3r5DzTIMwb6quu5ZV_sDeQAJcnHewK3tfMsqPT8Ly36FRuSJ7vR_vqzEt_MBWS_R4ND6o4ErIJ_iFfnVYwKE9wrkmzHPx8DxD21hVE8XXUlM2H5jXjEor3lDjeMYlglzvIKjd1kMI/s200/DemogorgonRising_0.mp4" width="200" /></a></div>
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Ahhh, yes, Demogorgon. It seems the Big D is going to be playing a major role in the <i>Rage of Demons</i> storyline for 5E judging from the art that has been commissioned/published, including this 10-second video to the left. Demogorgon seems like a good replacement for Talona as the Rotting Man's patron/sponsor. </div>
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In truth, the real reason I want to include Demogorgon is that I have a miniature aspect of Demogorgon that I have never been able to use and I don't want to waste it. (Yes, I am being completely honest.)</div>
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The Grand History of the Realms included this timeline entry that ties the drow to Dun-Tharos:</div>
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<i>–10400 DR: Dark elves of Clan Sethomiir travel by magic to the Riildath (present-day Rawlinswood and Forest of Lethyr) from Ilythiir, guided by the hand of the balor Wendonai. They construct an underground fortress named Narathmault [–10000], “the Dark Pit,” at the site of present day Dun-Tharos, recognising it as a place of great evil. </i></div>
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The nature of that "great evil" is not explained but I rather like the tie-in with the drow and with a named balor. I cannot help but think of this piece of art commissioned from the soon-to-be-released Sword Coast Legends CRPG and wonder if I might end up using it to depict a couple of significant NPCs in this campaign: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGn1tMW-iheaWDGuFIkuBRv1w6cBKiHyp3BDzjl1BIhGbPRFgNhlAtZ7Vfu9RdZi6pDIUHBt2Uc8BUuJ-ByOnYMUgceew0FhzFatjG59y9KQpmQQNvOpuYOVy_57iNf6hraAtDQhYtw0/s1600/ART_SCL_Key-Art_021015_FINAL-1423710724401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFGn1tMW-iheaWDGuFIkuBRv1w6cBKiHyp3BDzjl1BIhGbPRFgNhlAtZ7Vfu9RdZi6pDIUHBt2Uc8BUuJ-ByOnYMUgceew0FhzFatjG59y9KQpmQQNvOpuYOVy_57iNf6hraAtDQhYtw0/s200/ART_SCL_Key-Art_021015_FINAL-1423710724401.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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At the very least, I rather like the idea of including a dungeon level which I will call the <i>Dark Pit of Narathmault</i> where a band of drow wizards and/or sorcerers are seeking to increase their personal power. (And for campaigns where the Demon Weave storyline from 4E's <i>Rise of the Underdark</i> is going to happen, this is probably a logical place for the drow to perform some of the necessary rituals. It also provides an alternative starting location for the Rage of Demons storyline.) </div>
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I also really want to include a traditional, old school, <i>fireball</i>-throwing, Demogorgon-created death knight in Dun-Tharos. And if Demogorgon is going to be involved, I should also use troglodytes, some yuan-ti, and maybe some awakened apes (see <i>The Lost Temple of Demogorgon</i> from <i>Dungeon 120 </i>for some ideas relating to awakened apes).</div>
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Demoncysts</div>
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<br /></div>
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As I expect that demoncysts are going to play a significant role in the campaign, I thought I better address them in this post rather than later. <a href="http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16053">And to do I will defer to George Krashos over at Candlekeep</a>:</div>
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<i>The Narfelli bound demons into magical prisons known as demoncysts. The demoncyst form of trapping demons commonly occurred on the outer fringes of Narfelli lands (i.e. as a type of border security) to be called upon by Demonbinders as needed and was the least sophisticated means of compelling demons to service used by the Narfelli. The demoncyst ritual involved summoning the demon in question to the Prime and then using their own unique variant of the 'Imprisonment' spell to entomb the demon (or 'drith' in the Narfelli tongue) at a particular location.<br /><br />What the Narfelli realised early on in the process was that the extra-planar nature of drith made a normal 'Imprisonment' spell prone to collapsing over time, which of course led to much devastation and trouble when an unbound demon appeared 'out of no-where' and started to run amok. This led to the Narfelli working on a more demon-oriented variant of that spell which proved much more stable - but not completely so. As such it was common for only relatively minor drith to be bound in this fashion (usually nothing more powerful than a chasme, more often a handful of dretch or rutterkin) and for there to be safeguards put in place to prevent unleashed demons from doing their own things if unleashed incorrectly. Those safeguards usually took the form of spell-trigger magics to banish said unleashed demon(s) or other types of ward magics to prevent their freedom of movement. As with all dealing with extra-planar creatures, the efficacy of such spells varied wildly on circumstances and the unpredictability of the Art.<br /><br />I note that there were more than a few Demonbinders who refused to 'play by the rules' and used demoncyst magic to build secret sentinels/armies in more populated areas (i.e. in and around Narfelli settlements) and also were lax in placing appropriate safeguards on their demoncysts - so essentially, anything goes in this regard.<br /><br />Most 'sanctioned' demoncysts needed to be recognisable to Demonbinders - for it was intended that they be an intrinsic aspect of the defence of the realm and so required to be accessible to all 'army personnel as it were - and so the releasing of subject demon(s) was by way of command word and the touching of a particular item (usually a small brass engraved disc) located at the site of the cyst. Most Demonbinders used "permanency" on themselves to give them the power of a lower-level variant "arcane sight" spell that allowed them to see drith summoning magics (specifically for location of demoncysts and wards against demons) and so could readily observe and activate such sites.<br /><br />With the passing of the centuries, the demoncyst magics have all degraded to a degree. They are far less stable and accordingly, sometimes simply touching the brass disc located at a demoncyst site without uttering the command word is enough to release the demon(s) in question. It must be noted that the demoncyst ritual was keyed specifically to humans, so the touching of a disc by wild animals, elves, dragons, dwarves etc would all (usually) have no effect. Similarly, disturbing the area of ground at or nearby to a demoncyst by digging, ploughing, etc. has been known to unleash the demons entombed there. Most denizens of the Great Dale do no digging at all if it can be avoided - experience having taught them that the simple act of digging a grave can lead to deadly consequences. Customs in the Great Dale are modified accordingly (they cremate their dead rather than bury; they use hammered in stakes with stout ropes to hold wooden dwellings in place rather than digging stone foundations; etc.).<br /><br />The largest concentration of demoncysts is located on the southern edge of the Great Dale along the northern part of the Forest of Lethyr, around present-day Mistbridge and the Falls of Erech, near the Citadel of Conjurers in Impiltur and in and around the environs of Dun-Tharos. This is despite centuries of "clean up" by the druids of the region.</i></blockquote>
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I also want to make a demoncyst the centrepiece for my introductory adventure for the campaign. </div>
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<b>Kront: The Safe Haven</b><br />
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My original plan was to use Uthmere as a fairly logical starting point for a Great Dale-based campaign... but that would make Dun-Tharos the nearest of the three dungeons which doesn't make sense when it's the most dangerous. Kront, however, is the nearest settlement to the first dungeon of Val-Murthag and it's also on a major trade road leading to Narfell and places north and Thesk and places south. Also, Lake Ashane is close by offering easy access to Rashemen. I mention these places because these are all good places from which PCs might come, although the Great Dale itself is a really good origin point.</div>
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The FRCG says this about Kront:</div>
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<i><b>Trade Village; Population 400</b><br />The first glimmer of civilisation along the Cold Road from N’Jast in Narfell, Kront stands on a crossroads that leads to Two Stars in Thesk. Despite raids from far-roaming Nars, the rough frontier village still stands. No lord higher than the current Lady Chinilvur, of an Impilturan noble line, claims dominion over Kront. The Chinilvurs would have built the town in the Ashanath on Lake Ashane, but that stretch of land is prone to unnaturally regular and severe tornadoes.</i></div>
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<i>Unapproachable East</i> provides (as is to be expected) a bit more information:</div>
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<i>Kront is a neutral trading ground for the surrounding lands. The merchants who regularly pass through here appreciate the lack of politics, especially since this translates into no direct taxes or tolls. The people of Kront make their living trading goods and services with travellers. Kront concentrates on providing services to traders, but it's also a key point for folk from hundreds of miles around to purchase tools and other items they cannot fashion on their own. Many merchants who start out thinking of Kront as a rest stop on their way to other points have decided this is a fine place to trade as well. In particular, fisherfolk come here every day to hawk their catches from Lake Ashane, providing fresh fish for those staying in Kront and smoked meat for them to take on their way.</i></div>
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I'm definitely going to have to flesh that out a lot more if I'm going to use it as a home base (unlike Uthmere where there is a lot of canon info, particularly from the 3.5E era).</div>
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</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A Rough Campaign Synopsis</b></u></span><br />
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Obviously, this is going to develop further as I do further research and design on the campaign but here's my rough outline for what would be a campaign for the Heroic Tier in 4E covering levels 1-11 or so (and arguably the same in 5E):</div>
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</div>
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<b>Adventure One: Dungeon of the Demoncyst</b></div>
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<b>Levels 1-2 </b></div>
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I cannot write a proper introductory adventure without knowing the characters but the basic idea combines a dungeon with a demoncyst. Essentially, the seals on a demoncyst have been degraded by a combination of time and the rituals of a Nar demonbinder thus freeing some fairly minor demons (manes, dretches etc...) which are now running about near Kront. The PCs are hired to put an end to this threat which involves delving a Narfelli-era dungeon, fighting Nar barbarians, before dealing with a Nar demonbinder and his minor demon "horde".</div>
<br />
<b>Adventure Two: Ghosts of Val-Murthag</b><br />
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<b>Levels 2-5</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Deciding to explore the ruins of Val-Murthag, the PCs find that Nar cultists of Orcus have disturbed many of the Nar ghosts. A Nar demonpriest of Orcus is trying to raise a great army of undead from the ruins by opening a portal to the Shadowfell in an ancient temple of Orcus and it's up to the PCs to stop him (or her).</div>
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</div>
<b>Adventure Three: Prisoner of Clymph Tower</b><br />
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<b>Levels 5-8</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Rashemmi PCs in the party have heard that Red Wizards of Thay have occupied Clymph Tower. It's up to them to determine if this poses a risk to Rashemen and to stop the Thayan schemes.<br />
<br />
Or not.<br />
<br />
After all, they may be trying to bring back the former Zulkir Nevron in an effort to end the rule of Szass Tam.</div>
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<b>Adventure Four: Dark Pit of Dun-Tharos</b></div>
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<b>Levels 8-11</b></div>
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The corruption of the Dunwood has been increasing and now Kront and other formerly (relatively) peaceful settlements of the Great Dale are threatened and all the signs point to Dun-Tharos being the origin of these troubles.</div>
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With support from the druids of Yeshelmaar, the PCs set out to end the threat only to discover a major Nar cult of Demogorgon that has summoned an aspect of the prince of demons to the Realms with the side-effect of corrupting everything around Dun-Tharos. </div>
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Delving deeper into Dun-Tharos, the PCs eventually come to the great twin altar of Demogorgon and there seek to banish the aspect of Demogorgon from the Realms before its corruption and madness spreads further! </div>
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*** </div>
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<br /></div>
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I've written the synopses as railroads to save time but, when I come to preparing the posts for each adventure, I will make sure to include a variety of hooks and also to provide better links between the adventures than what is apparent here.</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Table of Contents</b></u></span><br />
<br />
Finally, here's the revised table of contents. I will edit in the links to the relevant posts as they are made. <br />
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<b>Adventure Locations</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the 4E map:</i></span></div>
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Clymph Tower<br />
Dun-Tharos<br />
Val-Murthag<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/pix/greatdale.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the 3.xE map:</i></span></a><br />
Fortress Narder<br />
Great Barrow<br />
Tower Threespires<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Other Locations & Features </b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bezentil<br />
Dunwood<br />
Easting River<br />
Forest of Lethyr<br />
Giantspire Mountains<br />
Great Road<br />
Kront<br />
Lake Ashane<br />
The Mucklestones<br />
Narfell<br />
Tammar<br />
Thesk<br />
Uthmere<br />
Yeshelmaar</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Helpful Links</b></u></span></div>
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WotC posted the sections on the Great Dale from both the <i>Forgotten
Realms Campaign Guide</i> and <i>Forgotten Realms Player's Guide</i> <<a href="http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/FRPreview_GreatDale.pdf">here</a>>
and <<a href="http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/FRPreview_PG_GreatDale.pdf">here</a>> respectively. </div>
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<br />
All of the information from 3.xE's <i>Unapproachable East</i> - one of the best FR sourcebooks, IMO - can be found in four posts on another site: <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/index.shtml">overview</a>>, <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/people.shtml">people</a>>, <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/cities.shtml">cities</a>>, and <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/history.shtml">history</a>>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A Final Comment: Necromancer Games</b></u></span><br />
<br />
As I have quickly re-read this post I realised that there is arguably enough content here and in the links to allow a DM to quickly put together a campaign set in the Great Dale particularly if he or she owns a few Necromancer Games products.<br />
<br />
Start with <i>Wizard's Amulet</i> and <i>Crucible of Freya</i> as an introductory adventure and then segue into <i>Rappan-Athuk</i> but set in Val-Murthag. That's really all you need for a long-running campaign. And whatever bits of <i>Rappan-Athuk</i> aren't used in Val-Murthag can be used in Clymph and/or Dun-Tharos instead. <i>Slumbering Tsar</i> could also provide source material for the same locations.<br />
<br />
Add a bit of FR flavour by including Nar barbarians and demonbinders, Red Wizards of Thay, witches of Rashemen, and swapping out the deities for FR ones and it will still feel like FR but the work will have been done for you. After all, if you've paid for the products, you may as well use them! :)</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-75222603885777644602015-07-25T17:22:00.004+08:002015-07-25T17:22:52.008+08:00Look what's coming in 5E for the Forgotten Realms...<div style="text-align: justify;">
... and, no, it is not a campaign setting but some form of regional guide book.</div>
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<a href="http://dnd.wizards.com/sites/default/files/media/styles/product_tabletop_left/public/images/product/DnD_SCAG.png?itok=2GS5BnLn" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dnd.wizards.com/sites/default/files/media/styles/product_tabletop_left/public/images/product/DnD_SCAG.png?itok=2GS5BnLn" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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It's the <a href="http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/sc-adventurers-guide"><i>Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide</i></a> which looks like it's going to follow the example of 4E's <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> and focus on a smaller area. And I mention the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> because that seemed to be almost uniformly praised even by those whose natural reaction is to hate FR products.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But it's also interesting that, <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/08/gencon-news-no-5e-forgotten-realms.html">as expected</a>, there's no campaign guide for FR. I don't think this is going to win the Candlekeepers (ie, diehard FR fans) back but I suspect it will, like the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i>, have fairly broad appeal especially if the CRPG <i>Sword Coast Legends</i> turns out to be a good product.</div>
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<br /></div>
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While I am not interested in 5E or the 5E Realms, I will still be grabbing this as the Sword Coast is a big part of why I am a fan of FR.</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-85589928128143201292015-06-29T20:20:00.002+08:002015-06-29T20:20:56.170+08:00Stat Blocks - Orcs of the Crags<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrqmrlr3Qod8CAae7cpm2N7j1xin2juU4Bv7B-aIUSnsYPEVqcZ480uamU-esOnj2s2kTNQg-T54nK4v_zeFe5lEu0LIkrnMxHec1biKcjdkZvt3G5vNBSarfOxbHDRnU_sxefMUrO2Q/s1600/Orc%252C+The+Crags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrqmrlr3Qod8CAae7cpm2N7j1xin2juU4Bv7B-aIUSnsYPEVqcZ480uamU-esOnj2s2kTNQg-T54nK4v_zeFe5lEu0LIkrnMxHec1biKcjdkZvt3G5vNBSarfOxbHDRnU_sxefMUrO2Q/s200/Orc%252C+The+Crags.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
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One of the most enjoyable 4E combats we have had involved a party of four level 10 PCs - half-elf bard, eladrin wizard, human barbarian, and dwarf fighter - leading a small army against a small orc horde. </div>
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The best part, of course, was when the PCs had to fight their way through their section of the battlefield and take out three of the key orc leaders.</div>
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I only used three stat blocks which I am posting here. The most basic orc was this one to the left: it's the minion version of my bog-standard orc which is a level 1 brute. (I go back to AD&D and reduce monster levels to match their 1E hit dice. It suits my game better, particularly as we're not going to Epic.)</div>
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The critical damage may look high but I "bought" it by trading 1 point of damage from its normal attack and having a 20% chance that a critical would trigger dealing 5 extra damage (20% = 1/5; reciprocal of 1/5 is 5 and 5 x 1 = 5). I like my 4E brutes to have big swings in the damage they can potentially deal and this seemed to be the best way to model that with a minion.</div>
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I really liked the stat block in <i>Monster Vault: Threats of the Nentir Vale</i> for a swarm of orcs, albeit referred to as a <i>throng</i>. I stole it and made only a few changes to suit my tastes but this is essentially the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=5667"><i>Bloodspear savage throng</i></a> from that book.</div>
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I found these swarms to be an interesting complement to the orc minion above, and fairly handy as a damage soak for the orc leaders.</div>
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And that's the last of these stat blocks: the orc battlethane. I admit that the choice of weapon - a broadsword - was odd for an orc, but I wanted to use some orc miniatures that I had - <a href="http://ddm-images.s3.amazonaws.com/miniatures/2431.jpg">orc eye of Gruumsh</a> - so went that rather non-orc-like weapon. How I wish I had the <a href="http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/m6-facj6IYY4QX5TGX5Cx1Q.jpg">orc with a double-axe</a> instead....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpaHHkyLU5seeiEfXIPx8bMfN-fE7BEcivCxol862RX3nwFTdjno9CV7TXno5RoEnRE1doHO1E6QL-7dLzPDcgpUaYWii8EK1VIui-dJr6m9fW9jBxEzhXfj1OveUhBnytpzIoJPm5TM/s1600/Orc+Battlethane%252C+The+Crags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpaHHkyLU5seeiEfXIPx8bMfN-fE7BEcivCxol862RX3nwFTdjno9CV7TXno5RoEnRE1doHO1E6QL-7dLzPDcgpUaYWii8EK1VIui-dJr6m9fW9jBxEzhXfj1OveUhBnytpzIoJPm5TM/s200/Orc+Battlethane%252C+The+Crags.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>
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OK, so <i>battlethane</i> sounds like one of those odd portmanteaus that 4E was famous for - the idea for which, I think, was stolen from <i>Magic: the Gathering</i> (I've never played MtG so I am only guessing) - but I wanted <i>battle</i> rather than <i>war</i> (such as <i>warchief</i>) to reflect the fact that these are not actually the leaders of their clans or tribes. These orcs are here in The Crags near Neverwinter for a reason that is explained in <this post> but they're not the true leaders of the orc horde which is no longer going to be formed thanks to the deeds of the PCs.</div>
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So, name aside, I like the way this stat block turned out. I've experimented with mechanics involving marks - one of my favourites is <<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVn8lqwT6BDYTR85z-mqD3v5g5O5hXZOleCeBjTqs7QOxoOAT9UdFXN5BMPHetmCwKA8Lc4vVV-rezVujTZWVh8AvU3UUJdt2KWkeRR5iGpaxlHadE8L7-_a2oBUpPj-v6z8-UmpAV4js/s1600/NPC+Xavalla+Lancelorn.jpg">this one</a>> - but this one worked really well and seemed to reflect the nature of the orcs. The other challenge was to create an appropriate leader power and I thought <i>Thane's Cry for Blood</i> was, again, very orc-flavoured. And with so many monsters on the board, it seems I may have had a chance or two to use it....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-46342986783757981232015-06-22T21:15:00.002+08:002015-06-23T17:11:14.525+08:00Stat Blocks - Dead Rats<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am almost finished writing up my Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One session report relating to the PCs bearding the Dead Rats in their lair and decapitating their leadership so that one of the PCs - a <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/display.aspx?page=Theme&id=868"><i>Dead Rat deserter</i></a> - could take over the organisation and use it for more "noble purposes".</div>
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And these are the Dead Rats they fought their way through....</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Dead Rat Basher</b></u></span></div>
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These are the common street thugs employed by the Dead Rats. They're a scurvy-ridden bunch of malcontents, traitors, and former pirates with nothing better to do than become bashers for a bunch of wererats.</div>
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That also means they can be found beating up little old ladies, tormenting stray cats, taking candy from babies, and similar sorts of things that make players hate them before they have their characters mow them down like wheat before a combine harvester. Ahhh, I love minions that players hate.... </div>
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The stat block began life as a level 1 brute (100 XP) which I boosted to a level 9 minion brute (also 100 XP) once the PCs hit level 6 or so. They can be quite nasty in waves if they get combat advantage and start handing out the dazed condition. Silly me: I should have made a dazed target become stunned if it was dazed again.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Dead Rat Lookout</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MzrQi9XOfIigDJa_zxunH3URNOT9jX94UPjv5VBWc_XTAdtAebPNTSNafqVrM7UBPUlOJ8RCDcrsWYKxa9CswvkPDHBy1yPWExs0W8UOwyCJuhfaC8OKCaCCOAhmVZGsckZoP50lJkM/s1600/Dead+Rat+Lookout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MzrQi9XOfIigDJa_zxunH3URNOT9jX94UPjv5VBWc_XTAdtAebPNTSNafqVrM7UBPUlOJ8RCDcrsWYKxa9CswvkPDHBy1yPWExs0W8UOwyCJuhfaC8OKCaCCOAhmVZGsckZoP50lJkM/s200/Dead+Rat+Lookout.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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It made sense for the Dead Rats to have lookouts so I threw this stat block together fairly quickly to meet that need. At the beginning of a campaign, it would be a level 1 artillery but, now that the PCs are level 10, building it as a minion makes more sense.</div>
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And, once again, I was amazed at how much of a threat minion artillery creatures really are particularly with respect to their XP cost when building an encounter. </div>
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I had the lookouts placed up high with both cover and concealment and that allowed them to snipe without having to move. And, of course, without having to use their move action to move, they were able to use <i>careful aim</i> to get a boost to their attack rolls. </div>
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Frankly, for those who say that 4E is too easy for players, I would suggest that they reconsider that opinion when a big chunk of an encounter's XP budget is spent on minion artillery.</div>
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I also want to point out something I have been doing a lot with weapon-using artillery stat blocks: I turn the ranged weapon into a melee weapon to give the create a melee basic attack. Frankly, if I had my own editable 4E Character Builder, I would probably create a feat to allow PCs to do something similar. After all, we've all seen the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> movies and how effective Legolas is with a bow and arrow in melee combat!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Dead Rat Wererat</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRTUk1hkktUbBIBsKvn3xyMRSmVaqR3qWmdlpAqMX8PbL0s8S_wT725u8Wftnj5YD6D5Rxgt3AH_M1ylxmXJgNDs68DBeqRqG3vqCnOJrqcV8nFkNcPKwefAZ8YAGPHWMWIt9Fom5VL8/s1600/Dead+Rat+Wererat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRTUk1hkktUbBIBsKvn3xyMRSmVaqR3qWmdlpAqMX8PbL0s8S_wT725u8Wftnj5YD6D5Rxgt3AH_M1ylxmXJgNDs68DBeqRqG3vqCnOJrqcV8nFkNcPKwefAZ8YAGPHWMWIt9Fom5VL8/s200/Dead+Rat+Wererat.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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The Dead Rats are, at their heart, a guild of wererats. In 1E, a wererat is a 3-hit dice monster. Similarly, there was also level 3 4E stat blocks for the wererat and that's where I started with this. Again, as noted in the two previous stat blocks, I kept the XP value but changed the standard monster into a higher level minion.</div>
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Wererats have regeneration in 4E so I modelled that with an ability - lycanthropic regeneration - to return to 1 hit point when slain with a successful saving throw, unless the attack is with a silvered weapon. My players are used to minions that make saving throws... and they also have an item that lets one of them create an aura 5 within which his and his allies attacks with implements or weapons are considered silvered.</div>
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Ultimately, these were less of a threat than the Dead Rat lookouts as a result!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Dead Rat Guard Otyugh</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87poIkOivVrzvpVGimtfjdx0FVutS2yAMn7n8YYhfE6grO7CUhzLU7mbyh9KCEztU1y1gFvH21sbs41zhYL68ng78xgjasOEZNMGdRRnaaU9RkwNA3vF_T3cf1Ka5qA58QdUV7OROtUQ/s1600/Dead+Rat+Guard+Otyugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87poIkOivVrzvpVGimtfjdx0FVutS2yAMn7n8YYhfE6grO7CUhzLU7mbyh9KCEztU1y1gFvH21sbs41zhYL68ng78xgjasOEZNMGdRRnaaU9RkwNA3vF_T3cf1Ka5qA58QdUV7OROtUQ/s200/Dead+Rat+Guard+Otyugh.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
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You cannot have D&D sewers without otyughs. I believe that is one of the fundamental rules of the game.</div>
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I had a fresh look at the otyugh in both 1E and 2E to see what I could discover afresh about them as 4E had reduced them to beasts with an Intelligence of 1. Not so in AD&D were their Intelligence ranged from 5-10 and, in 2E at least, they all possess short-ranged telepathy. Anyway, that should explain those small changed on the stat block.</div>
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The normal otyugh in 4E is level 7; I bumped this one up to level 9 which is still within the hit dice range in 1E (although I think it's actually within range for a neo-otyugh but close enough).</div>
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I will just comment on the damage on this stat block. A level 9 soldier is expected to deal an average 17 damage. In this case, average damage for <i>tentacle</i> is 12 while average damage for <i>diseased bite</i> is 22 (actually 21.5 but I will round up). The average for the two attacks is 17 damage and, as the attacks work in combination, it seemed fair plus it provides a strong incentive to escape the creature's grab.</div>
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I know later 4E stat blocks included an escape DC for monster grab attacks but I actually prefer the original 4E model where the player can choose either Athletics vs Fortitude or Acrobatics vs Reflex.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Rsolk</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-b03VazSsw4JtZPXpDsg_2Owo4dCKTHP7CcMlpHtwG_e-s3_BDcaZKMZgjLJN2oW8kVDyBEJEBInXps17rjtYzJVwnP_3ehXdNXsG6xJbRbpa28ksYeiteUO4YakGWwcuhCGD4sgF2bY/s1600/NPC+Rsolk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-b03VazSsw4JtZPXpDsg_2Owo4dCKTHP7CcMlpHtwG_e-s3_BDcaZKMZgjLJN2oW8kVDyBEJEBInXps17rjtYzJVwnP_3ehXdNXsG6xJbRbpa28ksYeiteUO4YakGWwcuhCGD4sgF2bY/s200/NPC+Rsolk.jpg" width="104" /></a></div>
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The leader of the Dead Rats in Neverwinter is Rsolk, a nasty piece of work who has become far too rat-like - with his twitching nose, furtive movements, and squeaky voice - for a human.</div>
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He started out as a level 7 elite skirmisher which has the same XP value as a level 11 skirmisher which is what he is now (or was in case you're reading this after I posted the session report). </div>
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In battle he's clearly a skirmisher who also provides a mobility boost to his allies. That said, if I was going to build him again, I would also give him a bonus shift with his melee basic attacks as he needs a bit more mobility. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Blacklake Sewer Kraken</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3z833EyGx9C5NI1ZiSthaGXVAfZJaKjfxobdBRByJkhNIdQZzEPRl2qqg4dSrhPY3VMt-GHsnWtWOq3koUGWXqSR4qVG8572zEFRTDk9kipwfbD0EIjndvpm9pOuY65ooStpqp_aoHc/s1600/Blacklake+Sewer+Kraken+Tentacle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3z833EyGx9C5NI1ZiSthaGXVAfZJaKjfxobdBRByJkhNIdQZzEPRl2qqg4dSrhPY3VMt-GHsnWtWOq3koUGWXqSR4qVG8572zEFRTDk9kipwfbD0EIjndvpm9pOuY65ooStpqp_aoHc/s200/Blacklake+Sewer+Kraken+Tentacle.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
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I'm a bit of a fan of the adventure <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/121733/Lost-Crown-of-Neverwinter-4e?"><i>The Lost Crown of Neverwinter</i></a> which was season 6 of the D&D Encounters programme. The idea for the Blacklake sewer kraken - and even its tentacles as minions - is shamelessly stolen from that adventure.</div>
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This is a spoiler for those who haven't read or played in that adventure - and it's also spoiled in my session report that is not yet posted as at the time this post was written - but there is an encounter with the Dead Rats that results in one of the Dead Rats hitting a lever and essentially flushing the PCs and the remaining Dead Rats into another chamber that was once used by the once-notorious <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kraken_Society">Kraken Society</a>...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC8xbTIgpd145QFEbizcQk-93EtcRMGzKD911hyphenhyphenUB_5-FIGsxfIIfyvAmxCqH0vkO1arEilISvtSywJBuFE9Tri4v1yItJMHQ9Jr1lPR6PF6FqwFqRLVgQb6eMPzKSZe5kCJX6S0gzeo/s1600/Blacklake+Sewer+Kraken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnC8xbTIgpd145QFEbizcQk-93EtcRMGzKD911hyphenhyphenUB_5-FIGsxfIIfyvAmxCqH0vkO1arEilISvtSywJBuFE9Tri4v1yItJMHQ9Jr1lPR6PF6FqwFqRLVgQb6eMPzKSZe5kCJX6S0gzeo/s200/Blacklake+Sewer+Kraken.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
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... and that's where the battle with the Dead Rats would continue further hampered by the tentacles of a devolved kraken.</div>
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I took it a step further and also included the devolved kraken as a monster plus four of its tentacles. And this is where I will insert the link to a description of the battle once I have finished writing it.</div>
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The highlight of the battle with the sewer kraken was its used of kraken's bite. Elite creatures are supposed to deal average damage equal to a standard monster of the same level (in this case, that would be 2 x 17 = 34) and sometimes I like to put all of that damage into a single attack which is what I did here.</div>
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Also, if you're going to run a similar battle, I recommend watching the most recent <i>Conan</i> film before you do so. The battle with the tentacled creature in that movie is a really good source of inspiration for fighting a kraken-like beast.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Edit: War Dog</b></u></span><br />
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One of the many odd things about Gygaxian AD&D was the absolute lethality of household pets relative to the impotence of a lot of characters. When house cats were statted out in the <i>Monster Manual II</i>, IIRC, out group enjoyed mocking the designer who decided to make a house cat far more lethal in melee combat than a lot of 1st-level characters.<br />
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Slightly more believable was the war dog which appeared in the first <i>Monster Manual</i> but it was also lethal: a 2-hit dice monster with a bite attack that dealt 2d4 damage. In short, it was better in combat than most 1st-level fighters rolled up according to the 1E rules... and you could buy war dogs! Of course, then the only problem was getting your DM to agree that they were trained and would obey orders etc....<br />
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Reminiscences aside, I thought the Dead Rats needed some watch dogs and decided to go with the 1E war dog as inspiration so I started with a level 2 soldier. Bumping it up to a minion made it level 10 and I changed its primary role to controller purely to drop the AC by 2. At some point, I may even stat up a pack as a Huge swarm....<br />
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Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-7151246584138919062015-06-11T21:09:00.004+08:002015-06-11T21:09:50.717+08:00Dessarin Valley Sandbox 3 - Amphail & Getting a Campaign Started (II)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> "officially" begins at level 3 in <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-2-red-larch.html">Red Larch</a> so the adventure gives some ideas for mini-adventures to take PCs from levels 1-3 if necessary. These mini-adventures are also centred on <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-2-red-larch.html">Red Larch</a>, as are some of my own ideas mentioned in my <<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-2-red-larch.html">previous post</a>>.<br />
<br />
However, looking at the <<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Bn2NGPlNNyq8tS8NrXrjlG5snd1gQzqhSKn9YKR_866GZlYAsJCcIU_Aw2RZtMjl8Tso84ePzujqfywwpCD9FGjTt1gZeoLqQRu8f8BTViwaVDZwpkg50iAHLUhZqW_OUsECG6-0qrs/s1600/Dessarin+Valley+player+map.jpg">regional map</a>> some players might be wondering why they are in <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-2-red-larch.html">Red Larch</a> and what route they took to get there. One obvious answer is that they came via Amphail so what happened when they were there?<br />
<br />
Turning to 2E's <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> once again for source material, it seems there are one or two things that might interest PCs <i>en route</i> to Red Larch....<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Realmslore</b></u></span><br />
<br />
<b>Princes of the Apocalypse</b><br />
<br />
Princes has little to say about Amphail and what it almost exactly the same as what appears in 2E's <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> and the later 2E product <i>The North</i> boxed set which is also largely reprints from <i>Volo's</i>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Amphail lies on the Long Road, about three days’ ride north of Waterdeep. The town is named after Amphail the Just, one of Waterdeep’s early warlords, who is said to haunt the surrounding hills in spirit form, frightening away monsters. Horses are bred and trained here, rich Waterdhavians maintain secluded estates in the hills, and farmland is plentiful. Stands of dark duskwood and spruce trees are everywhere.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In one corner of the town square stands the Great Shalarn, a black stone statue of a famous war stallion bred in Amphail long ago. Gelded by a prankster, the rearing horse is often painted bright colours by high-spirited locals. Children are allowed to hurl stones at birds perched on the statue, to keep it free of droppings. The children often climb it themselves and cling precariously to the high, tilted saddle, waving their arms and commanding imaginary armies into battle. Within spitting distance of the statue is the Stag-Horned Flagon, a cozy tavern.</i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Reason to Visit: Great Shalarn is a popular place to leave cryptic messages, either tucked under the statue’s hind hooves or slid between the sculpted curls of its tail. </i></blockquote>
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There's not a lot to work with there but it would be in the finest tradition of a sandbox-style campaign for the PCs to find a message in the statue of the Great Shalarn and for that message to lead them to an adventure. <br />
<br />
On a related note, a DM planning to run Princes largely as written could place a clue to the identity of one or more of the agents of Elemental Evil in Red Larch within a message in this statue. <br />
<br />
<b>Volo's Guide to the North</b><br />
<br />
One of the points of interest called out in <i>Volo's</i> is the horse pond and the tomb reported to lie beneath:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For a local spot of interest, you might try the Horse Pond. It's a placid, muddy home to frogs and water-lilies, and it is said to hide the underwater entrance to a tomb.<br /><br />Local lore tells of the Maiden King, a female human chieftain who ruled here an age ago. According to the tale, she sleeps forever on a stone bed, with a magical two-handed sword on her breast. Adventurers have entered the pool several times looking for her sunken tomb, and at least one band did not return. Some years ago, a number of undead skeletons emerged from the pond and stalked through the village, strangling several folk before the beasts were hacked apart. The truth about what lies in the depths of the pond remains to be revealed. However, it is used daily, without incident, to water dirty, thirsty horses. </i></blockquote>
<i>The Horse Pond Tomb</i>. That's not a bad name for an adventure and it is definitely the basic sort of old school adventure that is perfect for kicking off a new campaign. Imagine the PCs arriving in Amphail only to discover a small horde of undead skeletons rampaging through the village. They save some of the folk of Amphail and are then hired to put a permanent end to the undead threat. What then follows is some underwater exploration which is particularly freaky when your characters are only level 1 before the PCs uncover the entrance to an ancient barbarian queen's tomb as otherwise described above.<br />
<br />
Maybe the problem has been caused by a necromancer or evil
cleric taking up residence - what if the Maiden King was a folower of
Garagos the Reaver and it is a cleric of Garagos who has come back to
fulfil an Arthurian prophecy that the Maiden King will rise again? - and
animating some of the dead. Alternatively, maybe a thief broke through
some protective wards and eventually awakened the Maiden King who is
actually a creature of great evil bound beneath the earth some centuries
ago.<br />
<br />
In short, there's an extensive set of barrows,
some of sort of necromancer or cleric, a trapped thief, and an a
horrible unique undead barbarian queen who wants to regain her kingdom.
Yep, that would work.<br />
<br />
<br />
Then there are two more adventure locations that hold some promise:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>At the north end of the village stands the burned ruin of the Laughing Bandit Inn. It was destroyed in a wild spell battle three winters ago. </i><br />
<br />
<i>The battle was between a mysterious masked mage whose skin was ink black (some folk believe he was a drow) and the wizard Thalagh Tarn of Tethyr who was blasted to bloodspray. It's not clear if the other mage escaped the inferno of the inn. Many, many bones, cracked by the heat, were found in the ashes.</i><br />
<i><br />As the owner died in the conflagration, there is no great interest in rebuilding. Local children love to play in the ruins, where many jools of melted, puddled glass can be found. Somewhere under the charred timbers lie the inn's cellars, which may still contain some valuables. There's no way to get down there without doing a lot of digging that would have to be done in full view of the children and anyone passing on the road.</i><br />
<i><br />To the north is a disused temple to Waukeen. It is rapidly becoming overgrown with ivy and creeping vines.</i></blockquote>
<i>Cellars of the Laughing Bandit Inn</i>. Instead of requiring the PCs to dig into the cellars, perhaps the coming of Spring has caused the soil to subside so that there is now a narrow entrance to these old cellars but the folk of Amphail are too scared because of old legends to explore them for themselves. Instead, the PCs are hired to do so and first discover merely old storage rooms... but then a prison where captives were kept for sale to the drow. </div>
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That then suggests some sort of passage into the Underdark and maybe a great fungus-filled cavern with the remains of a drow outpost. Perhaps there is a drider - with pet hunting spiders - there that survives by hunting myconids with the latter surviving from the rich fungal forest that they tend. </div>
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</div>
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<i>Ruined Temple of Waukeen</i>. I suspect the reason this temple was ruined was because, in the 2E era, Waukeen was a prisoner of Graz'zt and her church went into a period of decline. (In my own campaign set in the 4E era, this is still true but her church is thriving secretly run by a cult of Graz'zt.) What if the ruins are still haunted by minor demons from that era? And what if the church of Waukeen is now wanting to reclaim their former temple and is hiring adventurers to clear out the ruins? That's a fairly simple mini-adventure that could be ad libbed with the right map such as the monastery dungeon that features in the original <i>Dungeon Master's Guide</i>. </div>
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Beyond these three adventure ideas, there are several other suggestions in <i>Volo's</i> but they require a bit more work/thought.</div>
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Other Published Material</b></u></span><br />
<br />
<b>T1 The Village of Hommlet</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yGd3TDyWCZT62uYZesIlT41FU45EsrsMNHX_6m9ED6HDbDyG8gu5SuWfGrUj9mSbFXtMFy4e-Na5VZCnz5aCv_7yu6-sEVG7tn9AxJc61TeiB87Ef6VMOGPp9WnozJRSevUj04-AX00/s1600/-Dungeon+212_Page_42_Image_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yGd3TDyWCZT62uYZesIlT41FU45EsrsMNHX_6m9ED6HDbDyG8gu5SuWfGrUj9mSbFXtMFy4e-Na5VZCnz5aCv_7yu6-sEVG7tn9AxJc61TeiB87Ef6VMOGPp9WnozJRSevUj04-AX00/s200/-Dungeon+212_Page_42_Image_0002.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>
I hate, loathe, detest, and despise <i>T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil</i> as being one of the most overrated, incomplete, nonsensical, and basically poorly-designed (and randomly-generated in large parts) pieces of crap ever published for D&D... but that's because I have such high regard for <i>The Village of Hommlet</i> and waited so long for <i>Temple of Elemental Evil</i> that a never-actually-finished-but-still-published piece of garbage was never going to satisfy my desire for a worthy sequel.<br />
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My rants aside, the Moathouse is a classic adventure location that almost needs to be in any campaign based on Elemental Evil, including <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i>.</div>
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What if Amphail substitutes for Hommlet? The Moathouse can represent a move by an almost renegade faction of the Elder Elemental Eye to move further south toward Waterdeep and, of course, that faction would be headed up by Lareth the Beautiful....</div>
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Really, can <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> even be considered a successor to <i>Temple of Elemental Evil</i> if it doesn't begin with the Moathouse? :) Seriously, if the PCs need to be level 3 by the time they reach Red Larch, why not start <i>Princes</i> with an update of the Moathouse? And, if you do so, make sure you post about it online so that the Greyhawk purists weep....</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Conclusion</b></u></span><br />
<br />
I've run a few homebrewed "adventure paths" over the past few years and I have found that they ones that have worked best have begun with something a little bit different so that the players get some variety and don't feel like they're being railroaded from day 1. I think starting in Amphail and then travelling to Red Larch can provide that sort of start, even if the PCs end up taking on Lareth the Beautiful in an adaptation of the Moathouse from T1. But it might be better to run through one or more of the other adventure ideas first just to get the players used to their characters before they begin the process of tackling Elemental Evil....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-9012462061615112602015-06-11T03:33:00.000+08:002015-06-11T03:33:12.710+08:00Dessarin Valley Sandbox 2 - Red Larch & Getting a Campaign Started<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI9FZB3bMTVHAYJeSmTWlTJ95xlOzDe75fjWp4wqVfuPArQ5ipDM-GKF5OKgipwzpQMiGLnl9hnHzLVPTe8bQoGG6KqT5kxLyKAsmX8jZtdMjnieA90sxUV-BW6h0iq7gsywz-EYXayA/s1600/M+Red+Larch+936+x+648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXI9FZB3bMTVHAYJeSmTWlTJ95xlOzDe75fjWp4wqVfuPArQ5ipDM-GKF5OKgipwzpQMiGLnl9hnHzLVPTe8bQoGG6KqT5kxLyKAsmX8jZtdMjnieA90sxUV-BW6h0iq7gsywz-EYXayA/s1600/M+Red+Larch+936+x+648.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Any adventure needs to begin somewhere and Red Larch is the starting location chosen for <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i>. And, as there is a decent Mike Schley-created map for Red Larch, it's as good a place as any from which to begin a Dessarin Valley sandbox campaign.<br />
<br />
There are two basic purposes to this post: 1. to provide some ideas for logical reasons for PCs to be in Red Larch and 2. to suggest some other starting adventures to get the PCs to level 3 for <i>Princes</i>-proper.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Realmslore</b></u></span></div>
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<br />
<b>Volo's Guide to the North</b></div>
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<br />
I believe that the first time Red Larch is described in any FR product is in this one. It introduces Red Larch as follows:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Red Larch is a waystop town of roughly 600 folk. Its about a seven day ride north of Waterdeep. Red Larch stands atop a long, low ridge that serves as the westernmost edge of a region of monster infested hills. The ridge was crowned by a landmark brilliant red stand of larches, but the trees were felled long ago by the town's first settlers.</i></blockquote>
The same introductory section then goes on to mention:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Three trails intersect the Long Road at Red Larch. One runs southeast through an area of small farms and ranches to Bargewright Inn; a second winds west through the hills to Kheldell, and the third runs east into the hills, to several abandoned, monster-haunted keeps. The keeps used to belong to adventurers and local ranching communities along the Dessarin. Currently, Red Larch is awash in rumours of a sinister force that strikes by night from the nearby hills. Some say it's drow reaching the surface. </i></blockquote>
It's interesting how that foreshadows some of the adventure sites including in <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i>. But it's also interesting how Red Larch was set up from the very beginning as an ideal home base from which a party might head off seeking adventure in <i>...abandoned, monster-haunted keeps...</i> and to investigate <i>... a sinister force that strikes by night ... drow ...</i>? </div>
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<br />
(An idea relating to an abandoned keep is provided later in this post.)<br />
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What I also found interesting in <i>Volo's Guide</i> was the mystery surrounding The Swinging Sword which is also a location featured in <i>Princes</i>. It's fairly dry in the 5E adventure but Volo's makes these comments about this inn from 100 or so years before the current game year:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The inn is old and dark, and it's full of secret passages and storage closets.</i></blockquote>
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and</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The co-owners of the Swinging Sword are Jhandlatha and Peieyrie Taskaloath. Theyre originally from Luskan, where their father was a wizard and a foe of the Arcane Brotherhood, who killed him. Jhandlatha is an NG hf W9, and Peieyrie (pronounced PEER-ee) is a CG hf W8. They inherited magical items, but Elminster isn't sure just what.</i></blockquote>
</div>
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and</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>There are rumours that a gate (or gates) to other, far-off places in the Realms is hidden somewhere in or near the Swinging Sword. Currently, the tales speak of connections with the Moonshaes, the Vast, and the Tashalar, near Chult. Strange folk do certainly seem to show up at the inn, too. (NB: </i>Gates<i> in 2E were renamed </i>portals<i> in 3E and later editions.)</i></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Secret passages, eh? To me that says, "this inn can be an adventuring location", especially when combined with the rumours of <i>portals</i> to elsewhere. Also, what about those special snowflake players who insist on wild and weird race and class combinations that don't make a lot of sense in this geographical location? <i>Portals</i> are a perfect explanation for their presence far from where they would otherwise make sense.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But back to the idea of The Swinging Sword as an adventuring location. I can think of three main ideas:</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The newly reformed Arcane Brotherhood of Luskan have scoured their records and discovered that the Taskaloath sisters likely ended up in the possession of certain important magic items that belonged to the Brotherhood. A band of "recovery experts" (ie, rogues) led by a minor mage are despatched from Luskan to Red Larch to thoroughly search The Swinging Sword and even to dig up the sisters' graves. What if the aforementioned secret passages also lead to extradimensional spaces where the Brotherhood's treasure is now hidden? </li>
<li>Secrets passages and a <i>portal</i> to Chult? Can anyone say yuan-ti slavers? What if The Swinging Sword is the centre of a yuan-ti slaving operation that is now expanding in scope? And a short side trip to the jungle via portal can make a nice change of pace to an Elemental Evil-themed campaign.</li>
<li>One or more of the PCs is a descendant of the Taskaloath sisters and has inherited a portal key which, if taken to the correct secret passage in The Swinging Sword, opens a <i>portal</i> that leads to a small dungeon complex (an arcane laboratory) beneath Luskan where some of the Taskaloath treasures are still stored. One small complication: wererats and/or other gangs from Luskan, or even the reformed Arcane Brotherhood, have also discovered the complex and are exploring it at the same time as the PCs. This hook also has the benefit of providing a logical reason for why one or more of the PCs are in Red Larch.</li>
</ol>
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Any or all of these rough ideas could be easily turned into an adventure with a little bit of work and might also make for a good starter adventure for <i>Princes</i>-proper.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Other Published Material</b></u></span></div>
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<b>Dungeon 26: The Inheritance</b><br />
<br />
I believe that the 2E adventure <i>The Inheritance</i> published in <i>Dungeon 26</i> was one of the more popular <i>Dungeon</i> adventure of its era. And I mention it here because its major location is near Red Larch - Red Larch is even mentioned in the introduction - and the idea of an abandoned keep is, as I have already noted, part of the basic description of Red Larch in <i>Volo's</i>.</div>
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This is a great starter adventure especially for a campaign taking place in and around the Dessarin Valley. In a nutshell, one of the PCs has inherited a keep from a dead uncle that he was forced to abandon after it was besieged and taken over by a force of hobgoblins from the unfortunately named Lostafinga tribe. (I like the adventure and its author is one of my favourite Dungeon authors, but this adventures suffers from a lot of joke names. But don't let that put you off. It is rather good.)</div>
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Even for those without <i>Dungeon 26</i> - or the ability to use Google - putting this adventure together is fairly simple. The maps are provided above and the keep can be placed anywhere on the regional map near Red Larch although I would personally to it on the northeastern edge of the Westwood some 3.5 hexes from Red Larch. Then it's just a matter of filling the keep and its dungeon with various hobgoblins and hobgoblin-related creatures (a couple of bugbear shock troops, goblin scouts, and - for a true, old-school feel - at least one carnivorous ape).</div>
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<br /></div>
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This would make a great starter adventure for any sort of campaign in the Dessarin Valley as it gives the PCs their own home base that they will need to defend from time to time - the hobgoblins will be back, and their green dragon master might also follow - which gives them a break from the adventure path, and the whole thing gives them both a logical reason to start in Red Larch and then stay and see off the threats to the Dessarin Valley. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Conclusion</b></u></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, a good two or so months after I planned to start this series I finally made my first real post and I am actually happy with the ideas even if the post could do with a rewrite. Frankly, I really like Red Larch as a starting location just based on the write-up in <i>Volo's</i> and, combined with <i>The Inheritance </i>from <i>Dungeon 26</i> and the ideas for making The Swinging Sword more magical and sinister, I think I could put together a pretty decent mini-campaign with some nice variety for almost any D&D edition.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I would start with <i>The Inheritance</i> and its hobgoblins, deal with the yuan-ti slavers next (possibly expanding that to be some more like 1E's <i>N1 Cult of the Reptile god</i>, and then find the <i>portal</i> to the arcane laboratory in Luskan to fight wizards and wererats. It would also might for a nice alternate start to <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> or a change from Elemental Evil, all the time, once the PCs are on the adventure path railroad....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-7615448814206397192015-06-09T03:16:00.003+08:002016-08-15T19:56:27.243+08:00I Miss the Wonder of Exploration (edit) & Weirdness<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bar two sessions of LFR around five or so years ago, I have not actually played D&D since 1985 and have only played it a few times since I first discovered the game in 1981. After a single session of playing to learn how mapping worked, I started DMing immediately and rarely returned to the player's side of the screen.</div>
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Half of my regular players have had me DMing them since 1984 and I have largely adapted my DMing style to suit their playing preferences... and I realised I am missing out. As per the post title, I miss the wonder of exploration.</div>
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While we play 4E - and have had a few sessions of 5E as well - my long-term players gave on extended adventures, especially dungeon crawls, decades ago before 2E was released. The attention span isn't there so I end up compressing almost everything into one- to two-session mini-adventures simply to hold their attention... and I simply miss the wonder of exploration.</div>
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As a DM, there is something really wonderful about creating something weird and/or mysterious and having your players becomes entertained by interacting with it. The other half of my players still like this... but the old timers are the problem and they dominate. (I still remember the <i>Pool of Watery Wonders</i> in <i>Caverns of Thracia</i> - the only adventure I played through to the end - and how some clever play allowed us to scry, summon a water elemental, and then teleport same into the minotaurs we could not have fought on our own. That's still the highlight of my limited time as a player!)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Even though we are in our 40s, there are still new things to explore in D&D and I miss the opportunity to do so under the pressure to deliver the results every session. It's time for some new blood... and a new group to run in parallel with my principal group.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let's explore!<br />
<br />
(Edit) I missed a really important point in my first draft of this post: I also miss "the weird". For those of us who came into this hobby in the early 80s or even earlier, "the weird" was a staple of the modules - as they were called - that we played. <i>X2 Castle Amber</i> was possibly/arguably the best example of this but the magic pools in <i>B1 In Search of the Unknown</i> were my first encounter with such.<br />
<br />
As my games are fairly serious and set in "serious" locations, I have missed out on "the weird" and I want it back. I've been prepping an Undermountain-based game for my wife's family on the assumption that I can grab their attention for a few minutes and get them to try something new (considering where I am living, I expect that I will simply bribe them eventually) and Undermountain really is a licence to bring out "the weird".<br />
<br />
My <i>Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One</i> campaign is about to cross into the Abyss and I am seriously racking my brain trying to think of <i>things that should not be</i> that would be appropriate in an excursion to the Abyss. In other words, I want to bring "the weird". Hopefully by doing it right it will bring out a bit more of the explorer mindset in those players... and, no doubt, improve my own DMing.<br />
<br /></div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-68066456566992702612015-06-09T03:03:00.002+08:002016-08-15T19:56:30.233+08:00(Princes of the Apocalypse) Dessarin Valley Sandbox 1 - A Revised Introduction & Table of Contents & Player Friendly Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Bn2NGPlNNyq8tS8NrXrjlG5snd1gQzqhSKn9YKR_866GZlYAsJCcIU_Aw2RZtMjl8Tso84ePzujqfywwpCD9FGjTt1gZeoLqQRu8f8BTViwaVDZwpkg50iAHLUhZqW_OUsECG6-0qrs/s1600/Dessarin+Valley+player+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Bn2NGPlNNyq8tS8NrXrjlG5snd1gQzqhSKn9YKR_866GZlYAsJCcIU_Aw2RZtMjl8Tso84ePzujqfywwpCD9FGjTt1gZeoLqQRu8f8BTViwaVDZwpkg50iAHLUhZqW_OUsECG6-0qrs/s200/Dessarin+Valley+player+map.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been a bit busy with real life of late to get this series properly started, plus I have yet to read <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> from cover to cover. More importantly, I realised tonight when I saw the map to the left that my strategy for tackling this series was all wrong so, hopefully, this post will be the first step for going forward with the right strategy.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A Revised Introduction</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm a big fan of the northern parts of the Forgotten Realms and the trilogy of products covering the area shown in this map of the Dessarin Valley - <i>FR5 The Savage Frontier</i>, <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i>, and <i>The North</i> - are some of my favourite products judging by how much I have read and/or used them.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What I now plan to do with this series is ignore the adventure locations covered by <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> but focus on the other named locations on this revised map with a view to turning this area into a sandbox of sorts. Hopefully this will give DMs of <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> some ideas for adventures outside of PotA for those times when they or their players feel like a break from unrelenting Elemental Evil.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Personally, I have no plans to run <i>Princes</i> in this area as I have some other ideas for Elemental Evil-themed adventures in Aglarond and Underchasm which pre-date PotA by some years.<br />
<br />
<b>Some Useful Links<span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://thecampaign20xx.blogspot.com/2015/04/elemental-evil-guide-to-princes-of.html">This post at the Power Score blog organises the adventure really well and flags a lot of the problem areas, including the botched map scale</a>. If you're going to run <i>Princes</i> "as is", you should definitely check this out. He also links to some other useful resources. Frankly, I wouldn't run Princes without going through this post in detail.</span></li>
<li><a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/03/princes-of-apocalypse-dessarin-valley.html">My original post for this series includes copies of almost all of the maps and most of the art</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A Revised Table of Contents</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now this list is much more manageable. I will edit in the links as I make each post.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-3-amphail.html">Amphail (3)</a><br />
Bargewright Inn<br />
Beliard<br />
Black Maw Bog<br />
Cairn Road<br />
Conyberry<br />
Dessarin Hills<br />
The Dessarin Road<br />
Evermoor Way<br />
The Forlorn Hills<br />
Gaustar's Creek<br />
Goldenfields<br />
The High Forest<br />
The Horn Stream<br />
The Iron Road<br />
Ironford<br />
Jundar's Pass<br />
Kheldell Path<br />
Kryptgarden Forest<br />
Lance Rock<br />
The Long Road<br />
<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/dessarin-valley-sandbox-2-red-larch.html">Red Larch (2)</a><br />
River Dessarin<br />
River Surbrin<br />
The Stone Bridge<br />
The Stone Trail<br />
Sumber Hills<br />
Sword Mountains<br />
Vale of Dancing Waters<br />
Westbridge<br />
The Westwood<br />
Womford<br />
Yartar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Map Scale</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It seems that WotC screwed the pooch on the scale of this map which is marked as 10 miles per hex whereas the regional map with the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> and <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> are based on 5 miles per hex... and that the hexes are actually supposed to be 7.5 miles per hex in both cases. Or something. If you look at the comments at the bottom of <<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/04/princes-of-apocalypse.html">this post</a>> you can find where Chris Perkins 'fesses up to the error without offering any sort of solution. Ho hum. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I only bring it up here in the event that your campaign also uses the adjoining map If it does, you should decide what scale the hexes really represent just in case your players notice or you have OCD. I'm just going to call them 5 mile hexes and leave it at that. </div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-80879889161758765812015-06-08T17:59:00.000+08:002015-06-08T17:59:05.014+08:004,461 names by Ed Greenwood<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's an <<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9MxGPoCx86WVERUX3FOYUhXSFU/view?usp=sharing">updated list of names</a>> by Ed in various publications. The source is also noted. </div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-50097606421317680652015-04-29T01:16:00.002+08:002015-04-29T01:16:30.097+08:00Princes of the Apocalypse<div style="text-align: justify;">
I finally have it! Hopefully this will translate to more regular posting on this blog.</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-20293548063312602812015-04-06T01:23:00.003+08:002015-08-03T16:32:07.310+08:00The Great Dale Sandbox 0 - Introduction & Table of Contents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdNm-XIal-nlUJT5Cf7GWMtigM0RJ5tNzowyMUqzsh8Va4o_EenwWrm19Mzw5UTK2Hz_oCVZex2JxHqctyj38l59sa4GRXujBD-ijqu4mCQJQ9gJ3ZbpQ2UDN9xT404lKYHqMiKSTDWw/s1600/-+Great+Dale+941+x+613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdNm-XIal-nlUJT5Cf7GWMtigM0RJ5tNzowyMUqzsh8Va4o_EenwWrm19Mzw5UTK2Hz_oCVZex2JxHqctyj38l59sa4GRXujBD-ijqu4mCQJQ9gJ3ZbpQ2UDN9xT404lKYHqMiKSTDWw/s1600/-+Great+Dale+941+x+613.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Year%20of%20the%20Ageless%20One"><i>Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One</i></a> campaign will conclude in a few more sessions and I need to get another campaign ready. I have a few ideas that I have been toying around with for a while - plus the ones I have mentioned in the past on this blog - but I realised today I needed something simpler: Good vs Evil. Dungeons. Maybe dragons. Very little plot. Fairly old school. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While looking for something else in the 4E Forgotten Realms Player's Guide I noticed this description of the Great Dale:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Great Dale is the vast, windswept vale that divides two enormous forests, the Dunwood to the north and the Forest of Lethyr to the south. The druids and other folk who inhabit the great rocky tor of Yeshelmaar are all that stand between the sparsely settled, wild southern woodlands and the festering evils of the northern forest.<br /><br />Trade has collapsed along the Great Road, leaving the defenders of Yeshelmaar as the last bastion of civilisation in the Great Dale. Demons that were bound beneath the Dunwood by the long-fallen Empire of Narfell now stalk the northern forest and threaten to overwhelm the wild reaches of the Forest of Lethyr. The southern woods are home to hidden wood elf villages and a handful of human settlements along the border with Thesk.</i></div>
</blockquote>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHqZD2CbBvHkxpn6JTmQgCv0PcytPUFHk7jB_03Oj9uBGDlznYHWc6Ww1BYpaDFQJH8jDZYOhz-0gOMZt2dmoD2OiUd1OCuXC2Gt-m8CEDaXdxgIeecdqGxNIb6aUrDXIFUvzXOCk-cE/s1600/Banner+-+Legacies+of+Narfell.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHqZD2CbBvHkxpn6JTmQgCv0PcytPUFHk7jB_03Oj9uBGDlznYHWc6Ww1BYpaDFQJH8jDZYOhz-0gOMZt2dmoD2OiUd1OCuXC2Gt-m8CEDaXdxgIeecdqGxNIb6aUrDXIFUvzXOCk-cE/s1600/Banner+-+Legacies+of+Narfell.png" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And then I looked at the map and
realised it already showed a few dungeons which means I would simply
show the map to the players and let them choose where to go to find
adventure. That's simple. That's fairly old school. And that might be
just what my players are looking for after a more plot-intensive
campaign.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Further,
I continue to hope that I can persuade my wife's extended family to
play this game one day so a simpler dungeon-focussed campaign is
probably a good thing to have as a standby. So, here comes a series of
posts called <i>The Great Dale Sandbox</i> which could otherwise probably be
called <i>Dungeons & Demons</i>....</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(It also gives me something to blog about while I wait for my copy of <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i>. Ahhh, the joys of living in a Third World country....)</div>
<br />
<b>What About 5E?</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Frankly, I think this idea of dungeons-on-a-map would work perfectly with 5E or any of the old school editions/rules. It's also suitable for DMs who don't have a good grasp of FR as, at its heart, it's a fairly generic campaign involving exploring dungeons with a possible BBEG being an aspect of a demon lord (and I think of aspects in the context of the 3.5E <i>Miniatures Handbook</i> where they were CR 12 or so and not Epic threats - I think that would also work well in 5E).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Introduction</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
(<b>TL;DR:</b> I have come to think of this campaign as something like the answer to this question: <i>What would happen if Necromancer Games set its adventures in the world of the Forgotten Realms?</i>)<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The layout of the Great Dale is quite simple. There is the demon-haunted Dunwood on the northern side and the druid-protected Forest of Lethyr on the southern side. Dunwood vs Lethyr, or demon vs druid, is a fairly simple shorthand for describing the conflict in the Great Dale and the source of so many adventuring opportunities.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Beyond that, the Great Dale is a place containing numerous ruins from the demon-worshipping/-binding ancient Empire of Narfell. For my own take on this sandbox-based campaign that I expect/hope to run, I am actually calling it <i>Legacies of Narfell. </i>In due course, I hope to post actual play reports... assuming that is the campaign that we run through next.<br />
<br />
The BBEG is going to be an aspect of Demogorgon and this aspect will be the source of much of the corruption of the Great Dale and its forests. That said, I suspect some of the other unique tanar'ri such as Orcus - or at least said tanar'ri's followers and thralls - will make an appearance but it's going to be a campaign that ends in a confrontation with the Big D himself.<br />
<br />
And, yes, that means I will be stealing ideas along the way from the <i>Savage Tide</i> adventure path.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Table of Contents</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Adventure Locations</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the 4E map:</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Clymph Tower<br />
Dun-Tharos<br />
Val-Murthag<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/pix/greatdale.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From the 3.xE map:</i></span></a><br />
Fortress Narder<br />
Great Barrow<br />
Tower Threespires<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Other Locations & Features </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Bezentil<br />
Dunwood<br />
Easting River<br />
Forest of Lethyr<br />
Giantspire Mountains<br />
Great Road<br />
Kront<br />
Lake Ashane<br />
The Mucklestones<br />
Narfell<br />
Tammar<br />
Thesk<br />
Uthmere<br />
Yeshelmaar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Helpful Links</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
WotC posted the sections on the Great Dale from both the <i>Forgotten
Realms Campaign Guide</i> and <i>Forgotten Realms Player's Guide</i> <<a href="http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/FRPreview_GreatDale.pdf">here</a>>
and <<a href="http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/FRPreview_PG_GreatDale.pdf">here</a>> respectively. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
All of the information from 3.xE's <i>Unapproachable East</i> - one of the best FR sourcebooks, IMO - can be found in four posts on another site: <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/index.shtml">overview</a>>, <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/people.shtml">people</a>>, <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/cities.shtml">cities</a>>, and <<a href="http://www.realmshelps.net/faerun/greatdale/history.shtml">history</a>>. </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<br />Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-17747541904021190672015-03-18T12:13:00.000+08:002015-08-13T12:42:09.390+08:00(Princes of the Apocalypse) Dessarin Valley Sandbox 0 - Introduction & Table of Contents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4Fyh_bCiLMbAMOqLoPojbjcyPStfRveXdMmNEKyHkbspJpBTD6C5ajPtOHThG4nN8IbCn4Mdtpzd_h3stmVmeBq57zSzD2rG0WIyy2TYr4iTCf6OG6sjQf5GJmwmi1fpNWILYxBXThc/s1600/The+Dessarin+Valley+1086+x+1379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4Fyh_bCiLMbAMOqLoPojbjcyPStfRveXdMmNEKyHkbspJpBTD6C5ajPtOHThG4nN8IbCn4Mdtpzd_h3stmVmeBq57zSzD2rG0WIyy2TYr4iTCf6OG6sjQf5GJmwmi1fpNWILYxBXThc/s1600/The+Dessarin+Valley+1086+x+1379.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">(Edit 09Jun15) I've rewritten the introduction and table of contents in a new post <<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/princes-of-apocalypse-dessarin-valley.html">here</a>> accompanied by a player-friendly map with fewer locations that I think is better suited to turning the Dessarin Valley into a sandbox.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">That means that this post is going to be abandoned and those who are interested in this series should go <<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/06/princes-of-apocalypse-dessarin-valley.html">here</a>> for the revised table of contents etc....</span></b></span> <br />
<br />
The D&D Adventurers League abridged version of <i>Princes of the Apocalypse</i> for D&D Encounters has now been released ahead of the full version of the adventure in April. And, unlike with <i>Hoard of the Dragon Queen</i> and <i>Rise of Tiamat</i>, this time I am genuinely impressed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course, I am also biased: I rate Rich Baker my favourite D&D designer of all time and, as was the case with <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/5E%20Starter%20Set"><i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i></a>, he's the lead designer of this adventure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And, as was the case with <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/5E%20Starter%20Set"><i>Lost Mine</i></a>, it would appear that this adventure has the potential to be an excellent sandbox particularly as it is accompanied by yet another fine map from Mike Schley. So, as I did with <i>Lost Mine</i>, I'm going to post a series of articles on expanding and/or revising the locations in this adventure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Table of Contents</b></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's the list of all the locations from the Mike Schley map above. Please note that the locations marked with an asterisk are encounter locations rather than locations from FR lore. Depending on what material I have to work with, I may or may not comment on these places. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However, my plan is to cover all the other locations and I will edit in the links as each post is made, just as I did with <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/5E%20Starter%20Set"><i>Lost Mine </i>(aka <i>Starter Set Sandbox</i>)</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b>General Posts</b><br />
<br />
<br />
4E Stat Blocks <br />
A Half-Assed Review<br />
<br />
<b>Locations</b><br />
<br />
*Abandoned Quarry</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Amphail<br />
*Anderil Farm<br />
Bargewright Inn<br />
Beliard<br />
Black Maw Bog<br />
Cairn Road <br />
Conyberry<br />
*Delegation Ambush<br />
*Dellmon Ranch<br />
Dessarin Hills<br />
The Dessarin Road<br />
Evermoor Way<br />
*Feathergale Spire<br />
The Forlorn Hills<br />
Gaustar's Creek<br />
Goldenfields<br />
*Haayon's Camp<br />
Halls of the Hunting Axe<br />
*Helvenblade House<br />
The High Forest<br />
The Horn Stream<br />
The Iron Road<br />
*Ironford<br />
Jundar's Pass<br />
Kheldell Path<br />
Kryptgarden Forest<br />
Lance Rock<br />
The Long Road<br />
*Nettlebee Ranch<br />
*Reaver Ambush<br />
Red Larch<br />
River Dessarin<br />
River Surbrin<br />
*Rivergard Keep<br />
*Rundreth Manor<br />
*Sacred Stone Monastery<br />
*Scarlet Moon Hall<br />
*Sighing Valley (this is not marked on the regional map but is the area around Feathergale Spire)<br />
The Stone Bridge<br />
The Stone Trail<br />
Sumber Hills<br />
*Summit Hall<br />
Sword Mountains<br />
*Temple of Elemental Evil<br />
*Vale of Dancing Waters<br />
Westbridge<br />
The Westwood<br />
Womford<br />
Wyvern Tor<br />
Yartar<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Maps</b></u></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Pictures</b></u></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00I2xqRpM2W6_gAaiHQgZt5QqoqJGfQwX6TNsUF55V08D7D-8kTaeyDh8K-9iKSbJ8VAWx5Q1U7CAzeBNGmjlRBV_JtObTrQvENLWBkfduOs7yZaPfGc-rCumx15HSIXsNvGTbo4fXDM/s1600/1383283469_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00I2xqRpM2W6_gAaiHQgZt5QqoqJGfQwX6TNsUF55V08D7D-8kTaeyDh8K-9iKSbJ8VAWx5Q1U7CAzeBNGmjlRBV_JtObTrQvENLWBkfduOs7yZaPfGc-rCumx15HSIXsNvGTbo4fXDM/s1600/1383283469_006.jpg" width="162" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yan-C-Bin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-27647633413666084032015-03-17T03:09:00.002+08:002015-03-17T03:09:45.712+08:00Stat Blocks - Hill Giant & Chief Nosnra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RL1thmoxgCKkHkNI7EsCSNAr759ULStdkPC78dZv82CtR_ytb8MGNWBcRxIVF9Ydgy6uGtBJklobio0IkHAQdA8G1fGEONQJbAOwN0UJ8MY-NOMWKrhKtQO6BnzEl7iHp4kZzGwZtjw/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RL1thmoxgCKkHkNI7EsCSNAr759ULStdkPC78dZv82CtR_ytb8MGNWBcRxIVF9Ydgy6uGtBJklobio0IkHAQdA8G1fGEONQJbAOwN0UJ8MY-NOMWKrhKtQO6BnzEl7iHp4kZzGwZtjw/s1600/12.jpg" height="200" width="162" /></a></div>
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I confess that I am not a fan of AD&D, particularly of 1E. And despite that, AD&D has a lot of influences on my 4E gaming largely because my first experiences with RPGs were largely AD&D (although SPI's rather good <i>DragonQuest</i> played a significant role for a while).</div>
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Even though I am not a fan of some of the earliest adventures - aka modules - I still see certain potential in them and, having read them over and over again many times in the past 30+ years, they're firmly fixed in my memory and, when I need to ad lib an encounter or even an adventure, they're what I turn to automatically.</div>
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<i>G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief</i> is one of those adventures and I have just an opportunity to run a it in the form of, effectively a single encounter but that's the subject of <another post>. Here are the two stat blocks I used.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Hill Giant</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvpqPR89PqmD_fbFx_Bn-u7ImFF56OIHoQzsE76xzK_GFnzh-WXGwtqR5vv9BySA4CpmSHjkXLG5WysyCn3ywl1-3ONZxuj5EgeVIbY4s0dYy6ioJcFmdG4Pqj4kXVmFHUcBaYlqyck/s1600/Hill+Giant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhvpqPR89PqmD_fbFx_Bn-u7ImFF56OIHoQzsE76xzK_GFnzh-WXGwtqR5vv9BySA4CpmSHjkXLG5WysyCn3ywl1-3ONZxuj5EgeVIbY4s0dYy6ioJcFmdG4Pqj4kXVmFHUcBaYlqyck/s1600/Hill+Giant.jpg" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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I imagine most 4E DMs are looking at this stat block and wondering why my hill giant is only level 8 when the official version is around level 13 or so.</div>
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The primary reason is this and it relates to the way AD&D informs my approach to D&D: I like my 4E monsters to have the same level as their AD&D hit dice, more or less. And hill giants in 1E had only 8 dice (and 1-2 bonus hit points, IIRC).</div>
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The secondary reason is that I am really only interested in running Heroic Tier - and maybe early Paragon Tier - games. My players don't have the endurance for longer games and I still want to use the full palette of monsters, as it were. Dropping their levels to match their 1E hit dice allows me to do that.</div>
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As a brute, the hill giant is pretty simple but I tend to think the sweeping club may be superfluous. I would have been better off putting a push or prone rider on the <i>greatclub</i> power and making the stat block that little bit smaller. That said, <i>sweeping club</i> is appropriate... and quite effective. It definitely makes my hill giant feel like a giant when it smacks a PC a couple of squares away.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Chief Nosnra</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjAlVTHN3_BaMrTMOmCA9y7KjEeNDQ9YBMGNEMXioC3tc2bzNvXCLWvMfkwz1GQnrqiAtesRBSimSuTHSJUmyVywouiq5JWIH0AG4ib1wcV5oY2EbxRlmQO33YGdoZByyJEJZiqoSddg/s1600/NPC+Chief+Nosnra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjAlVTHN3_BaMrTMOmCA9y7KjEeNDQ9YBMGNEMXioC3tc2bzNvXCLWvMfkwz1GQnrqiAtesRBSimSuTHSJUmyVywouiq5JWIH0AG4ib1wcV5oY2EbxRlmQO33YGdoZByyJEJZiqoSddg/s1600/NPC+Chief+Nosnra.jpg" height="200" width="136" /></a></div>
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This charming fellow's picture appears at the top of this post.</div>
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While I could have simply gone with an elite version of the normal hill giant and left Nosnra as a brute, I wanted something different for him so that he came across in the course of the battle as something more than just a hard-hitting brute.</div>
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My first thought inspired by the 4E version of <i>Steading</i> in <i>Dungeon 197</i> was to give him a giant crossbow and let him use that as a melee weapon but otherwise make him artillery. However, that doesn't match the picture above, nor does it match the miniature I have that basically matches that picture.</div>
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Clearly he isn't a soldier and I didn't want something as complicated as a controller even if he is brighter than the average hill giant. So that left skirmisher and I decided to start with the move and attack everyone ability that a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZT8iYeywrX5VHKcoVlQiS7_fbQlUEgg98OxF0TKPJDDn96PEItb3fqg2hQF9sobVvFYTWtyZdqAW8xTMDYJ1F4CeV2j_pMIlW57gOlCq1VNYVKWJRU4DMp3H7Av0mmYaoqv-Ts84CFg/s1600/d+Marilith+Thrall+of+Lolth.jpg">marilit</a>h has. However, with the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZT8iYeywrX5VHKcoVlQiS7_fbQlUEgg98OxF0TKPJDDn96PEItb3fqg2hQF9sobVvFYTWtyZdqAW8xTMDYJ1F4CeV2j_pMIlW57gOlCq1VNYVKWJRU4DMp3H7Av0mmYaoqv-Ts84CFg/s1600/d+Marilith+Thrall+of+Lolth.jpg">marilith</a>, her movement is a shift so she does not provoke opportunity attacks. That didn't feel like a giant to me, so Nosnra moves and provokes opportunity attacks as normal BUT, in doing so, he also has the potential to really boost his damage output. </div>
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That skirmishing-style attack then alternates - thanks to the recharge mechanic - with basically a double-damage version of his basic attack. As an elite, Nosnra should be able to attack twice. As I have done with a couple of elite (and solo) monsters in the past, I decided to give him a single attack that would allow him to do double damage instead. </div>
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But the really interesting part of Nosnra's stat block for me is the way his two traits work together. I think this is the first time I have seen a leader do more damage, and allow others to do more damage, when he MISSES rather than when he HITS. In some ways, it feels like a monster version of the lazylord: Nosnra can suck in combat and those around him can do better because of it. And considering how high a couple of my PCs' armour classes are, that bonus came to be quite large at one point in the combat.</div>
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Anyway, it's a different way for me of looking at a leader-like ability but on the rare chance that anyone else uses this, please do comment on how it went. My own commentary can be found <link to updated in the next couple of days>.</div>
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<br />Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-2192212074271425802015-03-15T00:33:00.001+08:002015-03-15T00:33:54.146+08:00Stat Blocks - Creatures of the Dread Ring, Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrr1YrbBbNvVHWNgJJRfk-pFYw6HULIG2x7b_RrAuiI2YyRuVM9P01x1FHRv2xusvQWyLXPyn4_Zq82aHOvvoD46kirbXCGc7GlwIqu-E1j1XkcUzJNLAiVClkYRntrI0SvqbiUqJoDc8/s1600/3+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrr1YrbBbNvVHWNgJJRfk-pFYw6HULIG2x7b_RrAuiI2YyRuVM9P01x1FHRv2xusvQWyLXPyn4_Zq82aHOvvoD46kirbXCGc7GlwIqu-E1j1XkcUzJNLAiVClkYRntrI0SvqbiUqJoDc8/s1600/3+(4).jpg" height="142" width="200" /></a></div>
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I prepared quite a few stat blocks for the Dread Ring in the Neverwinter Wood. in large part because there is a much larger dungeon to explore - the Dread Ring itself - than what my players in <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Year%20of%20the%20Ageless%20One"><i>Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One</i></a> are likely to end up exploring.</div>
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For those who have access to <i>Return to the Tomb of Horrors</i>, my version of the Dread Ring includes the dungeon of the Black (aka Bleak) Academy including the triple entrances to the infamous <i>Tomb of Horrors</i>. Sadly, my PCs won't be going there as my players are very cautious and dungeon-averse except where it meets the needs of the plot. But delving for delving's sake? That isn't what they do. Cowards.... ;)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Sword Fodder</b></u></span></div>
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The original custom undead for the Red Wizards of Thay was the <a href="http://www.lomion.de/cmm/dreawarr.php">dread warrior</a> which first appeared in 2E's <i>Dreams of the Red Wizards</i> (IIRC, otherwise it was the <i>Spellbound</i> boxed set). They have survived all the way to 4E but now exist in multiple forms: the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=4853">dread archer</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=4854">dread guardian</a>, <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=4852">dread marauder</a>, and <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=4851">dread protector</a>. Although they are level-appropriate and well-designed (they're from Monster Manual 3), I decided to go with some custom monsters for the Dread Ring although they are likely to make an appearance later. I mention them only for the sake of completeness in case someone reading this is looking for some undead with Thayan flavour.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd-OKoeGpBeJobZr0k3V2PjW-oCUTvPX6Rb6cI5tbQtTfFJ6_ilrT8-rILqLSM_flEpwey9lkHkF1wYsvuLcGD6DMppCKs7bt305tt6bQ5uIhBq6nWeZwBlBGUAwrNTnkPkk8wJH2Hnk/s1600/Dread+Ring+Zombie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd-OKoeGpBeJobZr0k3V2PjW-oCUTvPX6Rb6cI5tbQtTfFJ6_ilrT8-rILqLSM_flEpwey9lkHkF1wYsvuLcGD6DMppCKs7bt305tt6bQ5uIhBq6nWeZwBlBGUAwrNTnkPkk8wJH2Hnk/s1600/Dread+Ring+Zombie.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
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In my former post (<a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/03/stat-blocks-creatures-of-dread-ring.html"><i>Part One</i></a>) with creatures of the Dread Ring, I included the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EmZSp7Ge2TpOQ5dMg90fgWrIHy-U6G_Ov2U4fU4z8zc8GlYk_6uzip99tTMwtdU0QbAi6XaRG07MGRa69ei5Dq1m7OFpXVrua4M867cJZbkjbB22yxLnuHYa2Lv-hC-2MWyKhMgTfvc/s1600/Bone+Weird.jpg">bone weird</a> as a way of showing the effects of the Dread Ring in terms of creature unusual undead. The Dread Ring zombie comes from that same way of thinking and is also a lurker.</div>
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It is based on <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/monster.aspx?id=2026">Strahd's dread zombie</a> from <i>Open Grave</i> - insofar as its ability to "respawn" - but with a lurker twist. In this case, it has the ability to slam someone into the earth of the Dread Ring and then trigger the ability of the Dread Ring to swallow that creature.</div>
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I see these zombies as looking like corpses that have been freshly disinterred with clumps of dirt and even crawling worms filling the gaps where the flesh has rotten away. Also, the nature of their method of movement and "respawning" justifies them popping up pretty much anywhere in the Dread Ring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkeL9WZV8jM-sNHuaXx4FIlXRAcg76E9nON363y-sHBMh1hTGI1BzTp_XmehB93CCCB9ZvOhIEL_ApO_loSIhyV6Zj7_4N-sNfKwmtLEKiICNoZgbq8Dcra23TGJ7Sz8Dj83a3gznDzw/s1600/Thayan+Gnoll+Archer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkeL9WZV8jM-sNHuaXx4FIlXRAcg76E9nON363y-sHBMh1hTGI1BzTp_XmehB93CCCB9ZvOhIEL_ApO_loSIhyV6Zj7_4N-sNfKwmtLEKiICNoZgbq8Dcra23TGJ7Sz8Dj83a3gznDzw/s1600/Thayan+Gnoll+Archer.jpg" height="176" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thay has always used gnolls as a common slave race and as expendable sword fodder. As a result, I like to include gnolls with any Red Wizard encounters. In this case I went with gnoll archers because they struck me as very appropriate guards for the Dread Ring in this wilderness location. They could also be used to supplement the food supplies of the living Thayans.</div>
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But that's just background.</div>
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In other posts, I have mentioned that my basic guideline for monster levels is their hit dice in 1E or 2E. Gnolls have 2 hit dice in those earlier editions so that would translate to a level 2 artillery. A standard level 2 monster has the same XP value as a level 10 minion and I definitely wanted these gnolls to be minions so that's why they're level 10 artillery.</div>
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The stat block is very simple with no conditions to track. I decided to avoid a normal melee basic attack based on a melee weapon and do something I have done with orcs before and allow these gnolls to make melee attacks with their ranged weapon. Yes, clearly I have watched the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> movies. <i>Point blank shot</i> also has a push effect so that will hopefully allow the gnoll archer to get out of melee range.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIlMXMfMEoTBr9oricVWQysDDeKrpViK2DLQt6w9YjxVL1gsdyPBuEf_gtRwlWUBdxD6aH_VMi5M6JKnXij7XeI-YMpSWmqi-0oMS_Gn63u8hddEq1FAJsakWzEMP_Fvk-cA4yN_Pio8/s1600/Thayan+Knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIlMXMfMEoTBr9oricVWQysDDeKrpViK2DLQt6w9YjxVL1gsdyPBuEf_gtRwlWUBdxD6aH_VMi5M6JKnXij7XeI-YMpSWmqi-0oMS_Gn63u8hddEq1FAJsakWzEMP_Fvk-cA4yN_Pio8/s1600/Thayan+Knight.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
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Including the Thayan knight in my roster of monsters for the Dread Ring was definitely going to happen for two reasons:</div>
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1. I have four Thayan knight miniatures which I have been wanting to use for a while.</div>
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2. I really like the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrr1YrbBbNvVHWNgJJRfk-pFYw6HULIG2x7b_RrAuiI2YyRuVM9P01x1FHRv2xusvQWyLXPyn4_Zq82aHOvvoD46kirbXCGc7GlwIqu-E1j1XkcUzJNLAiVClkYRntrI0SvqbiUqJoDc8/s1600/3+(4).jpg">Wayne Reynolds art showing a Thayan knight defending a Red Wizard</a> and have used it before to show players whom they were fighting.</div>
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I'm actually really happy with how the stat block turned out. It feels a lot like an assault swordmage in the way it plays but it remains really easy to use while being tactically interesting. I suspect I will also be using higher level versions of this stat block in the future as I really like the way it works.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Thayan Banites</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw0nuBo7A-iXOUUAOQuU7wNU9-GhoH_x8dNsezrF58xKBAcVVyCp0SU1e6a4EVdVgkT1-G5KgCCD4PLq8Jm5Jt_Fc9ppN21Gz6rZzPysM7XdivvYsvb6kjgowRCeLsFQBhFb557XGMVg/s1600/Thayan+Dark+Acolyte+of+Bane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw0nuBo7A-iXOUUAOQuU7wNU9-GhoH_x8dNsezrF58xKBAcVVyCp0SU1e6a4EVdVgkT1-G5KgCCD4PLq8Jm5Jt_Fc9ppN21Gz6rZzPysM7XdivvYsvb6kjgowRCeLsFQBhFb557XGMVg/s1600/Thayan+Dark+Acolyte+of+Bane.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a></div>
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One of the changes inflicted on FR courtesy of the events surrounding the Spellplague was that Szass Tam made a deal with Bane and promised him that the Black Lord's religion would be the only one permitted in Thay. (That's the short version.) As such, it makes sense that a Thayan fortress such as the Dread Ring would also include some Thayan Banites.</div>
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The dark acolyte of Bane is a minion controller that exists as a speed bump - and <i>hold person</i> can definitely be a speed bump. Also, as much as possible, I try to include ways that the minions I design can survive a hit: in this case the dark acolyte can possibly avoid a melee attack by using <i>cause fear</i> to push the attack away.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOz4LYuqVJ3YN1uTXLX1UCnAV-YN0Txlr9rAzD3LFkm0-sgjX3vyNaujwyJ-00rnWIQU7OW8OrJ_O5C24WYLBBN-F8919hLYsoMBCZyQMg9j47vkwOAbY4Y-9oZI8k4R9aUFSCuO4OFI/s1600/Thayan+Dark+Hand+of+Bane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpOz4LYuqVJ3YN1uTXLX1UCnAV-YN0Txlr9rAzD3LFkm0-sgjX3vyNaujwyJ-00rnWIQU7OW8OrJ_O5C24WYLBBN-F8919hLYsoMBCZyQMg9j47vkwOAbY4Y-9oZI8k4R9aUFSCuO4OFI/s1600/Thayan+Dark+Hand+of+Bane.jpg" height="200" width="162" /></a></div>
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The masters of the dark acolytes are the dark hands of Bane, another nasty controller. Their signature/at-will power <i>Bow Before the Black Lord!</i> is really all that they need to mess up the PCs' mobility as it even slows on a miss and, on a hit, prone plus unable to stand can, in the right position, be as effective as a stun.</div>
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As you would expect from clerics of the deity of tyranny, they can also dominate but that is once an encounter but it is reliable so, if it misses, it can be used again.</div>
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They're quite effective in melee as well, thanks to their aura 3 which gives them and their allies combat advantage against their enemies.</div>
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In short, they're nasty. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WhQ5XKThw33QyijNt4WdLBBNRWnWF0Sc17IaDJdQpsvkg058kYiKVeXoezqk8nAJamvc1r3zVvsNqXoltDfka465OPzdvEylZWDVbB6szuIt9icJ6IOrMCSUt2xtxD4TtUbiSqznshM/s1600/Hateful+Zealot+of+Bane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WhQ5XKThw33QyijNt4WdLBBNRWnWF0Sc17IaDJdQpsvkg058kYiKVeXoezqk8nAJamvc1r3zVvsNqXoltDfka465OPzdvEylZWDVbB6szuIt9icJ6IOrMCSUt2xtxD4TtUbiSqznshM/s1600/Hateful+Zealot+of+Bane.jpg" height="200" width="151" /></a></div>
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The final Thayan Banite is the hateful zealot of Bane which is essentially a pursuing avenger in monster form. The reason for the use of the word <i>hateful</i> is because, in 3.xE, one of Bane's granted domains was hatred and all the Banite clerics I ever statted up as NPCs in 3.5E had <i>hatred</i> and <i>tyranny</i> as their two domains.</div>
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Anyway, the hateful zealot feels a bit like Darth Maul in the way it plays. <i>Oath of enmity</i> is, of course, the signature avenger ability that ensures that the hateful zealot is very likely to hit while <i>Feel the Hate!</i> makes sure its <i>oath of enmity</i> target is not going to get very far before the hateful zealot catches up with it. And, of course, once it has caught up with its target, <i>bond of pursuit</i> should see it stay in melee or charging range.</div>
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I also really like this stat block and expect it to provide a model for any other avengers "monsters" I might build in the future. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Red Wizards of Thay</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X88pbDL85nEHaoqY5dGcKErzcKivpG9wobbBGr95tdVu5wiPHRN6tlWODxzmMFgZqh3oHuiZ0OpvPv1RFe0AjP3wdA-uRbIHZT_rAMMut6dXkdw7ne3VkyK0pjbSGXKhrfhbV5p5b0Y/s1600/Thayan+Apprentice+Necromancer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X88pbDL85nEHaoqY5dGcKErzcKivpG9wobbBGr95tdVu5wiPHRN6tlWODxzmMFgZqh3oHuiZ0OpvPv1RFe0AjP3wdA-uRbIHZT_rAMMut6dXkdw7ne3VkyK0pjbSGXKhrfhbV5p5b0Y/s1600/Thayan+Apprentice+Necromancer.jpg" height="200" width="164" /></a></div>
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Before 4E changed everything, Red Wizards of Thay were organised around the eight schools of magic. Post-4E - more accurately, post the novels by Richard Lee Byers where he, <i>inter alia</i>, introduced Dread Ring and blew up Thay - the Red Wizards largely focussed on necromancy. 5E Thay seems to be heading back to the older version of Thay but who really knows as WotC doesn't seem to want to publish a new FR campaign setting, but I digress....</div>
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The apprentice necromancer, like the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyw0nuBo7A-iXOUUAOQuU7wNU9-GhoH_x8dNsezrF58xKBAcVVyCp0SU1e6a4EVdVgkT1-G5KgCCD4PLq8Jm5Jt_Fc9ppN21Gz6rZzPysM7XdivvYsvb6kjgowRCeLsFQBhFb557XGMVg/s1600/Thayan+Dark+Acolyte+of+Bane.jpg">dark acolyte minion</a> above, is a nasty speed bump. Its primary attack - <i>rotting doom</i> - stops the target from receiving healing. That's tactically interesting too because not being able to heal is not that serious in the first couple of rounds of combat but becomes potentially very nasty later. Do the PCs deal with these minions first to ensure that they have access to healing later or do they take the fight to the primary threats? Hmmm, decisions, decisions....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zYLUnU4y9flQ6dz2iM4YV3Ve1IqgQi0DYE5wHpAP7eZOZFsJV9m4WEp1qZRrYllEU10BpQb-N1G3YwTM8J6yEEzIGPZS_DCsiBYmxaTQkYbv7TNMn2Hmf-XaanexntAmOODpyDfo9OQ/s1600/Thayan+Necromancer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zYLUnU4y9flQ6dz2iM4YV3Ve1IqgQi0DYE5wHpAP7eZOZFsJV9m4WEp1qZRrYllEU10BpQb-N1G3YwTM8J6yEEzIGPZS_DCsiBYmxaTQkYbv7TNMn2Hmf-XaanexntAmOODpyDfo9OQ/s1600/Thayan+Necromancer.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a></div>
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... and it's a decision made more complicated because the Thayan necromancer that poses the greater threat is also capable of applying that same condition with its ranged basic attack.</div>
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But before it does that, <i>grasp of the grave</i> allows it to lay down an ally-friendly zone that lasts until the end of the encounter. Basically, this power is supposed to model a zone of grasping hands and claws of various corpses trying to drag the necromancer's enemies beneath the earth. Hmmm, maybe I should have made it difficult terrain for enemies as well....</div>
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My plan is always to pair the necromancer with at least one Thayan knight and anyone closing on the necromancer could end up attacking the Thayan knight in melee instead of the necromancer because of the knight's <i>aegis of the Thayan knight</i>. Hopefully that will give the necromancer some staying power plus its <i>defensive staff</i> melee basic attack can allow it to move away from a melee attacker without provoking opportunity attacks.</div>
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And they're the basic generic Thayan forces at the Dread Ring. There are named NPCs such as Valindra Shadowmantle inside the skull-shaped fortress at the centre of the Dread Ring but it's highly unlikely my PCs are going to encounter them. If they do, I will post the stat blocks here.</div>
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Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-69724443798520260172015-03-05T00:42:00.001+08:002015-03-05T00:42:31.698+08:00Stat Blocks - Creatures of the Dread Ring, Part One<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been sitting on an actual play post for several weeks now involving my 4E PCs seeking out the Dread Ring in the Neverwinter Wood. There's been a session already with a couple of combats and there is at least one more session to come.</div>
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Here are the stat blocks for the creatures they have/will encounter but the stat block for the lich <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZu1odHjtV0zFAHigz_s6Mn5TbI35LiBvchDR1bpqioA9o6mTPRMcLupZojy5TwuFF4_C6dPer4iA2sHnheSTlx2SAAkNmfyu8F7irN23sIJBIVo3t3dNIqHYjVCMbS_ozl-383NyNEk/s1600/31.jpg">Valindra Shadowmantle </a>can be found <<a href="http://As for the Spellplague being tightly integrated, despite using the Spellplague in the Chasm, in other ways I found it ">here</a>>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Askarro the Unlich</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxz7BrgMsGDk1oWCAtdBeKDLYtS71tZiIPSP2aKmbaa5RuCvz8LHSFfnL0AkIxvXwPiFwlnN6f2uJ9o4sjuY_lDfA1PrgSTdsUbxneyWZCgPFWYwrxB5sWnFnWlJq5A49PyOQ63fUSiY/s1600/-+Askarro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxz7BrgMsGDk1oWCAtdBeKDLYtS71tZiIPSP2aKmbaa5RuCvz8LHSFfnL0AkIxvXwPiFwlnN6f2uJ9o4sjuY_lDfA1PrgSTdsUbxneyWZCgPFWYwrxB5sWnFnWlJq5A49PyOQ63fUSiY/s1600/-+Askarro.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></div>
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I believe I came up with the name Askarro about 20 years when watching some crappy fantasy-themed movie on TV. I never used it until the second or third session of this campaign back in 2012 and it was for an undead wizard I termed an "unlich" or "lich construct" depending on how I was feeling on a particular day.</div>
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This was, of course, simply a way of having an undead spellcaster be able to return to "life" so as to become a recurring foe without having said spellcaster be as powerful as a normal lich. And Askarro is indeed a recurring foe. When the PCs first fought him he was a level 3 elite artillery. The more recent confrontation was with him as a level 7 artillery - same XP value as a level 3 elite - with the same powers but changes to his number of actions, damage, defences etc....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaGJUG7dzrWlXxGOggLrlz3GuOO9io_X8mterzzqX8bzRBa_YXVn0NkVOP5BwDgduNjDU9fCzCEsP7MMYHiAX8Ei-kobm2YBX8saT1tjyFnLyUt10j0oHLmwwK7aAkgOboyxG-1Am_KE/s1600/NPC+Askarro+the+Lich-Construct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaGJUG7dzrWlXxGOggLrlz3GuOO9io_X8mterzzqX8bzRBa_YXVn0NkVOP5BwDgduNjDU9fCzCEsP7MMYHiAX8Ei-kobm2YBX8saT1tjyFnLyUt10j0oHLmwwK7aAkgOboyxG-1Am_KE/s1600/NPC+Askarro+the+Lich-Construct.jpg" height="200" width="93" /></a></div>
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Suffice to say that the PCs were surprised to see him back after they defeated when they were level 2 or so. Earlier, Askarro and his undead wyvern mount had something of a roving brief over the lands north of Neverwinter. Since being "rejuvenated", he and his mount are now the chief guard dogs of the Dread Ring, tirelessly soaring above the fell location and searching for intruders which they engage in conjunction with one of more packs of werewolves (see below). </div>
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One of the things some people don't like about Paizo adventure paths is how the NPCs often have really extensive backstories that never see any actual use in play. Askarro was a bit like this for me. I had him as a thrall of Eltab and an expert in some of the magic used in the construction of the Dread Ring. (IMC, Eltab is the master of rune magic that can be used to release primordials rather than bind them: the complete opposite of the purpose of rune magic described in the runepriest entry in <i>Player's Handbook 3</i>.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidiMSsF3Xe7wXLXYxgaYREUTEC9keTRG0aZGkcid5tFIDJ7SXCE0x7AC4uf35Nurlnww5PrB64GdcFpNlpYe3hVyqX4ON3rzF0uKFGMFk-qnxkNOx5pJqN6gudKPGH0c1NfJ7B_EW-4eo/s1600/Askarro's+Wyvern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidiMSsF3Xe7wXLXYxgaYREUTEC9keTRG0aZGkcid5tFIDJ7SXCE0x7AC4uf35Nurlnww5PrB64GdcFpNlpYe3hVyqX4ON3rzF0uKFGMFk-qnxkNOx5pJqN6gudKPGH0c1NfJ7B_EW-4eo/s1600/Askarro's%2BWyvern.jpg" height="200" width="97" /></a></div>
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Despite his pact with Eltab, Szass Tam valued his knowledge and was responsible for Askarro's undead status. And that's all I will say about Askarro for now as it was and is rather irrelevant in terms of actually deploying him in combat and he is simply a combat encounter and a simple one at that: <i>death lightning</i>, rinse and repeat.</div>
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By contrast, Askarro's wyvern is much more tactically interesting and its ability to snatch, fly, and drop was fun to use in play. <i>Sting of undeath</i> also has potential but needs further development; I would love to take a fresh look at that in radiant keyword-heavy party especially where there is an invoker with radiant attacks that only damage enemies. In such a case, I would be so tempted to have the target treated as a enemy while it is subject to that effect.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Grey Wolf Werewolf </b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdCS2oqTlMckTdwyfgnbNrnUzW2EcsvtKOsn74M0hmoMvfKwOCW_3U5K-I1Ez9Ts9DEeud_p5xEK0Hq2G9ay6Yzxt3ORRUP2R0WTyz3KXWfajIxdH1L7vmYQ0g_ll1ryJ5Lj0qjKF_V4/s1600/Grey+Wolf+Werewolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdCS2oqTlMckTdwyfgnbNrnUzW2EcsvtKOsn74M0hmoMvfKwOCW_3U5K-I1Ez9Ts9DEeud_p5xEK0Hq2G9ay6Yzxt3ORRUP2R0WTyz3KXWfajIxdH1L7vmYQ0g_ll1ryJ5Lj0qjKF_V4/s1600/Grey+Wolf+Werewolf.jpg" height="200" width="127" /></a></div>
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In the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i>, the Grey Wolf tribe of the Uthgardt are loyal servants of the Netherese who are delving the ruined city of Xinlenal east of the Dread Ring. I decided in my campaign that the Netherese had been defeated by the Thayans (frankly, I had no use for the Netherese as I had enough factions already) due to a combination of the silver-fanged treant <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqnNG8udN2EpYgmkeQTtDi1xHIcOo1FubGwmQb9BUX8hxuONL1dmHn3cVaR7eWYf6JXgAkBdji3V9G6yyFBtzxE5jMzg3xICVcR1-4OLdp9kYwefMWW7fHq5g3SzwVE_CLpCWZ-Ao5SU/s1600/NPC+Silvermaw.jpg">Silvermaw</a> and the <i>Bones of the Thunderbeast</i>. The <i>Bones</i> are the remains of an apatosaurus and are a sacred relic of the Uthgardt barbarians. The Thayans have corrupted the <i>Bones</i> through (clichéd) evil rituals that has also allowed them to subvert the loyalty of the Grey Wolf tribe. </div>
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And that's my long way of explaining why the Thayans are using werewolves as guard dogs. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Bone Weird</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EmZSp7Ge2TpOQ5dMg90fgWrIHy-U6G_Ov2U4fU4z8zc8GlYk_6uzip99tTMwtdU0QbAi6XaRG07MGRa69ei5Dq1m7OFpXVrua4M867cJZbkjbB22yxLnuHYa2Lv-hC-2MWyKhMgTfvc/s1600/Bone+Weird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EmZSp7Ge2TpOQ5dMg90fgWrIHy-U6G_Ov2U4fU4z8zc8GlYk_6uzip99tTMwtdU0QbAi6XaRG07MGRa69ei5Dq1m7OFpXVrua4M867cJZbkjbB22yxLnuHYa2Lv-hC-2MWyKhMgTfvc/s1600/Bone+Weird.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
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As far as I know, the <a href="http://www.lomion.de/cmm/boneweir.php">bone weird</a> first appeared in 2E's <i>Return to the Tomb of Horrors</i>. No doubt inspired by the serpentine water weird, the bone weird was a snake-like conglomeration of bones animated by negative energy. </div>
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When I was thinking about creatures to include in the encounters in the Dread Ring, I wanted undead that were not common and the bone weird sprang to mind. I thought in a place like the Dread Ring where death and undeath were such real presences, that the remains of various creatures would sometimes spontaneously animate: these are the bone weirds.</div>
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I also imagined them crawling through the earth like the undead version of earthworms or ankheg and that made me think of the bulette. And looking at the stat block for the young bulette in <i>Monster Vault</i>, I realised that I had the creature I needed with a modicum of reskinning....</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Living Wall</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqZur_lWbquvJj52tvs9gWVDSbrxYt6LkdMQjOpkmrZSAqyL08leIa_-pYG6aWvYEySQAcWEszdbdqF09mXVZQZkr2sxPYf9qf2FxdWjeIWs7kMIqa2HwYnG8-7hyVKOzZS11woNDLHw/s1600/Living+Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqZur_lWbquvJj52tvs9gWVDSbrxYt6LkdMQjOpkmrZSAqyL08leIa_-pYG6aWvYEySQAcWEszdbdqF09mXVZQZkr2sxPYf9qf2FxdWjeIWs7kMIqa2HwYnG8-7hyVKOzZS11woNDLHw/s1600/Living+Wall.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
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And here's another obscure 2E monster: the <a href="http://www.lomion.de/cmm/liviwall.php">living wall</a>. I first saw these in the 2E <i>Monstrous Compendium</i>; I have no idea where they first appeared.</div>
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I was thinking that the walls of the Dread Ring are largely ruined by the failed ritual performed there but they must have also absorbed some of the ruinous necromantic and demonic energy that was unleashed. Thinking about the walls being animated in such a fashion made me think of the living wall and then it was a matter of converting them to 4E.</div>
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The 2E version of the <a href="http://www.lomion.de/cmm/liviwall.php">living wall</a> could be incredibly complex (and powerful!) depending on what creatures it had absorbed. I decided to markedly simplify it as a monster and simply have it grab and absorb a creature and then share damage with its victim to the point where I am left with a fairly simple stat block that is definitely a soldier.</div>
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If I was going to use them again, I would consider other options such as making them lurkers and having them, much like a gargoyle, be able to assume a stony form but also to capture a creature and petrify it with them before leeching away its life force. I also thought about having it dominate a creature it absorbed and forcing it to attack.</div>
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But simple is often better and I'm rather happy with the simple stat block in this case.</div>
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Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-87979394468810586352015-02-21T18:39:00.002+08:002015-02-21T18:39:27.352+08:00Starter Set Sandbox 18 - Using Red Hand of Doom to expand LMoP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7jADMo6NQZhp99mX3dwiXe9hPps6L2k7crZlqqOejD1-yd2ll6ArBBjKDFxpUOEBixiVbSzG9LKwEyTV_0ZdvhfzkkMywd6e0VbGfZ-nIl_wgudtrtxClcD-f42sgpNwRGXfxm_erWk/s1600/spotlight_156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7jADMo6NQZhp99mX3dwiXe9hPps6L2k7crZlqqOejD1-yd2ll6ArBBjKDFxpUOEBixiVbSzG9LKwEyTV_0ZdvhfzkkMywd6e0VbGfZ-nIl_wgudtrtxClcD-f42sgpNwRGXfxm_erWk/s1600/spotlight_156.jpg" height="200" width="148" /></a></div>
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I decided to post this for two reasons:</div>
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1. I was about to post something like this anyway because it's the direction that my own game is taking; and </div>
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2. +Banesfinger posted an interesting question in the comments at the bottom of <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/01/starter-set-sandbox-16-neverwinter-wood.html?showComment=1421039058787#c5235237577650916872"><this post></a>.</div>
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However, I need to add one disclaimer: I am not a fan of Tiamat. I also think she has been horribly overused as a BBEG across multiple editions of D&D and even in the execrable D&D cartoon from the 1980s. She also doesn't seem to me to be a classic FR villain but, of course, YMMV. </div>
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But there is one major advantage of sticking with the idea of Tiamat as the BBEG of an adaptation of <i>Red Hand of Doom</i>: it will help tie the adventure into the wider events of the <i>Tyranny of Dragons</i> adventures, <i>Hoard of the Dragon Queen</i> and <i>Rise of Tiamat</i>, should that be important for your game.</div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">The Simplest Approach</span></u></b></div>
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In theory, the simplest approach involves simply finding a section of the regional map from <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> and simply overlaying the regional map from <i>Red Hand of Doom</i>. However, I emphasise <i>in theory</i> as there is nowhere that is really a good match particularly when you consider the map of the Elsir Vale in Red Hand is some 320 miles (EW) by 240 miles (NS) which is larger than the regional map in <i>Lost Mine</i>!</div>
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In practice, you really would need to move the whole adventure further east, off the regional map from <i>Lost Mine</i>, and then place the key locations from Elsir Vale elsewhere. I may edit in some comments about that another time but, for now, I want to focus this post on using <i>Red Hand</i> to expand a campaign set in and around Phandalin.</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The More Complicated Approach </b></span></u></div>
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This involves ditching the Elsir Vale map from <i>Red Hand</i> and relying instead of placing key locations, or reasonable analogues, on the <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/07/starter-set-sandbox-0-introduction.html">regional map</a> that came with <i>Lost Mine</i>. </div>
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When <i>Red Hand of Doom</i> was first released, WotC posted the introduction and a synopsis of the five parts on their website for public consumption. I saved a copy of this and it is probably still there buried beneath the sheer incompetence that characterises any WotC attempt at using modern technology in conjunction with D&D.</div>
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What I am going to do is, beginning with the introduction, quote each section of the synopsis and provide some ideas as how to make this work in and around Phandalin.</div>
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<i>The quoted sections will appear in this format.</i> </blockquote>
</div>
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<b>Introduction</b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Red Hand of Doom casts the player characters in the role of heroes fighting to stem the advance of Azarr Kul's horde. There are far too many enemy warriors for the PCs to deal with them all personally. Instead, the heroes undertake vital missions that influence the outcome of the war. These missions include the following:</i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><i>Spying out the movements of Azarr Kul's army.</i></li>
<li><i>Defeating roving bands of marauders.</i></li>
<li><i>Leading the effort to rally an elf army to meet the Red Hand horde.</i></li>
<li><i>Disrupting an alliance between the Red Hand and a powerful lich.</i></li>
<li><i>Killing important enemy commanders, champions, and monsters.</i></li>
<li><i>And, finally, infiltrating the Fane of Tiamat to defeat the Red Hand warpriests and their leader in their secret stronghold.</i></li>
</ul>
<i>The adventure is divided into five parts, describing five key locations the PCs are likely to explore in the course of the adventure. Event-triggered encounters are also woven into each of the five parts. The adventure locales and events are designed to interact: Events will steer the heroes toward adventure locales, and things the heroes do in the locales will trigger events.</i></blockquote>
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At this point you need to decide whether to stick with the existing BBEG or to change it to something/someone else.</div>
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In my game, the real threat is the Zhentarim but the Zhentarim are split into two factions: the more traditionalist, but smaller, Bane-worshipping faction and the newer and larger Cyric-worshipping faction. The Banites need a significant victory to return to dominance of the Zhentarim so they're the ones behind the Red Hand of Doom. And an aspect of Bane is the replacement for the aspect of Tiamat as the final "boss" monster. (It's also helpful that I have an aspect of Bane miniature, but lack an aspect of Tiamat.)</div>
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That also means that the various spawn of Tiamat that are encountered during the course of the original Red Hand of Doom don't really have a place in my adaptation. That said, there is a beast of Bane template in 3.xE to represent creatures that have been touched by the Black Lord. So, for example, rather than having those greenspawn razorfiends flying around, I will just have wyvern or manticore beasts of Bane.</div>
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Azarr Kull also does not fit into my more Zhentarim/Bane-oriented adaptation. Rather than the half-dragon, the leader of the horde is either a hobgoblin warlord (and possibly also an evil paladin) or a human Zhentarim commander (who may also be an evil paladin: if you have the 5E DMG then you will also know such things exist in 5E too!). I don't need to make a decision about his identity right away so I will leave that undetermined for now. </div>
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However, for those of you who are sticking with the Tiamat-based storyline, unless you're running 3.xE you will need to convert the spawn of Tiamat to your preferred edition.</div>
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<b>Part I: The Witchwood => Raid on Phandalin</b></div>
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<i>The adventure begins when the player characters confront a powerful warband of raiders threatening the small town of Drellin's Ferry. Under the command of Wyrmlord Koth, the warband of hobgoblins and goblins lairs in the ruins of an old keep buried in the dense Witchwood, scouting out the surrounding lands in preparation for an attack. Soon the Wyrmlord and his warband intend to sweep down on Drellin's Ferry and slaughter its inhabitants.<br /><br />In the course of their fight to drive off the marauders, the PCs learn that Koth's warband is just the tip of the spear, and that a horde of goblins, hobgoblins, and their allies is marching south. They also learn that their enemies are driven on by the fanatical warpriests of Tiamat. Drellin's Ferry can't be saved, but the heroes can give the townsfolk time to flee by wrecking a bridge on an old dwarf road the Red Hand horde needs to cross. There they confront the youngest of the Red Hand's dragon champions, a green dragon named Ozyrrandion.<br /><br />By the end of this part, the war has begun. Thereafter the PCs divide their time between fighting to stem the advance of the Red Hand horde and foiling the plans of the other Wyrmlords, whose work will give the horde an irresistible advantage if left to run its course.</i></blockquote>
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Firstly, the easiest thing to do is replace Drellin's Ferry with Phandalin. Sure, there are some terrain mismatches but the goal here is to make <i>Red Hand</i> an extension of <i>Lost Mine</i>: Phandalin is the only option.</div>
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There are quite a few options here, and none of them involve an area of forest: ditch the Witchwood. </div>
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Instead of destroying a bridge, there is instead a dwarf-crafted tunnel or a key pass that is facilitating the horde's access from the southern side of the Sword Mountains and the Kryptgarden Forest to this side. Collapsing the tunnel or causing an avalanche to block the key mountain pass will buy the "good guys" time to prepare for the horde's arrival.</div>
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Oh, and a green dragon may still be appropriate. Maybe it too is a follower of Bane.</div>
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<b>Part II: The Ruins of Rhest => Ruins of Leilon</b></div>
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<i>Something has cut off the Old North Road in the vicinity of the Blackfens. None can flee by that route, nor can help from more distant cities reach besieged Elsir Vale. While scouting the swamp and seeking an answer to the question of who or what has cut off the road, the PCs encounter the reclusive owl-riding wild elves known as the Tiri Kitor. From them, the PCs learn that Wyrmlord Saarvith has allied with a black dragon named Regiarax, and together they have established a hatchery of sinister dragonspawn in the ruins of the drowned city of Rhest. The PCs must defeat both the Wyrmlord and the dragon to prevent the appearance of these vicious creatures in the war. If the PCs play their cards right, they can even gain the aid of the Tiri Kitor elves against the advancing Red Hand horde.<br /><br />At the end of this section, the PCs discover the threat of the Ghostlord (see Part III). Meanwhile, the Red Hand horde is striking deep all across the vale's western marches, and the war is going poorly indeed for the beleaguered humans.</i></blockquote>
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The hatchery is instead in Leilon. This means a different take on Leilon compared to the version I posted earlier in this series of posts, but I would keep the enchanted tower that can paralyse those who gaze upon it.</div>
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<br />
You could also keep the Thayans if you assume that, as is the case in the 4E <i>Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide</i>, these Thayans are followers of Bane which is, of course, the state religion of Thay thanks to The Haunted Lands trilogy of novels by Richard L Byers. Perhaps these are Thayan clerics who have been instructed by the Black Lord to prepare the wyvern or manticore beasts of Bane in support of the goblin horde. FR purists may find the idea of an alliance between the Zhentarim and the Thayans shocking but they are united by a common religious belief... and it provides further variety in terms of the encounters.</div>
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<b>Part III: The Ghostlord's Tower => Master of the Dread Ring/Ebondeath Mausoleum</b></div>
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<i>Azarr Kul brings a deadly new ally into the battle when Red Hand agents steal the phylactery of the human druid lich known as the Ghostlord and coerce this powerful undead menace into joining the war on the Red Hand's side. After gaining possession of the stolen phylactery, the PCs travel into the Thornwaste and do battle with Wyrmlord Ulwai Stormcaller in the lich's lionshaped lair. Eventually, the PCs must confront the Ghostlord himself and either destroy him (no small task) or purchase his neutrality by returning his phylactery in exchange for peace. By the time they dissuade the lich from joining his forces to those of Azarr Kul, the Red Hand horde is bearing down on Brindol.</i></blockquote>
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I don't think a lion-shaped lair fits it with the Neverwinter Wood or anywhere nearby but YMMV. Personally, I think there are at least three other options that would be better:<br />
<ol>
<li>The <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2012/07/neverwinter-brainstorming-again.html">Dread Ring</a> in the Neverwinter Wood can be seen on the earlier version of the regional map that was originally published in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Instead of a druid lich, the Dread Ring suggests the possibility of <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2013/03/valindra-shadowmantle-mistress-of-dread.html">Valindra Shadowmantle</a> who now haunts the benighted ruins of the Dread Ring cursed by Szass Tam himself.</li>
<li>I have already covered <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/08/starter-set-sandbox-6-conyberry-agathas.html">Agatha's Lair</a> but what if the banshee stood in for the Ghostlord? She doesn't have a phylactery but perhaps, <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/08/starter-set-sandbox-6-conyberry-agathas.html">as my post about her lair suggests</a>, there is something else she values than can be used to manipulate her?</li>
<li>Finally, for those who have access to <i>Dungeon 73</i> and the <i>Eye of Myrkul</i> adventure - fifth in the first Dungeon adventure path, the <i>Mere of Dead Men</i> series - what about Strongor Bonebag, a former cleric of Myrkul, as the lich that the bad guys control? On a related note, what about the black dragon Ebondoom returning as a dracolich?</li>
</ol>
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Obviously, any of these changes would require a bit of work on the DM's part to create a new lair etc....<br />
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<b>Part IV: The Enemy at the Gates => name unchanged</b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>While the PCs have managed to counter some of the Red Hand's outlying efforts, the horde has been advancing remorselessly into human lands. Now the characters confront the main army of the enemy directly in the Battle of Brindol, in which the PCs' actions make the difference between the human city's survival or destruction. Depending on how successful the PCs were in the previous parts of the adventure, the battle can end in anything from a hard-fought draw to a catastrophic defeat. Either way, in the aftermath of the battle it becomes clear that the best chance of winning the war is for a brave band of infiltrators to strike into the heart of the hobgoblin lands and decapitate the horde by destroying the Red Hand order.</i></blockquote>
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Brindol? No! This is a battle for Neverwinter itself, parts of which are still in ruins. Beyond the change of location and the use of Neverwinter's map, this section of the adventure may be largely unchanged.<br />
<br />
That said, Neverwinter has a large band of orcs camped out in one of its districts: are they allies - and, if so, do they need to be won over? - or are they enemies? That could add an extra dimension to this section of the adventure, as could negotiations with a unit of Cyricist Zhentarim who may offer their services as mercenaries to help defend the city.</div>
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<b>Part V: Fane of Tiamat => Fane of the Black Lord</b></div>
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<i>The PCs assault the High Wyrmlord's stronghold, the Fane of Tiamat, deep in the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Temporarily checked in the Battle of Brindol, Azarr Kul and his circle of high priests are seeking infernal aid from the Nine Hells, summoning devils and fiendish monsters, including an aspect of Tiamat herself, to break the last human resistance. The PCs fight a desperate battle in the dark temple, and ultimately confront High Wyrmlord Azarr Kul himself in the heart of the Fane of Tiamat.</i></blockquote>
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Clearly I cannot call this the Fane of Bane so if I am going to stick with "fane" I suppose it has to be Fane of the Black Lord. However, I may steal one thing from Tyranny of Dragons: <a href="http://geeklyinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TyrannyTemple.jpg">this picture of a temple of Tiamat</a> could just as easily be a picture of a temple of Bane as there is nothing particularly draconic about it.<br />
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But if you want a picture that says "Bane" and "Zhentarim", you cannot beat, IMO, William O'Connor's cover art for 3.5E's <i>Mysteries of the Moonsea</i>:<br /> <br />
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<a href="https://bravefishdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/moonsea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://bravefishdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/moonsea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Banite Monsters</b><br />
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And that picture segues nicely into another issue in the event that you're using Bane instead of Tiamat: what do you replace all the dragons with? For me, the quintessential Banite monster is the beholder: use them liberally. And if a straight-up beholder is too much of a challenge, use gauth, their weaker cousins. They have yet to be officially statted up for 5E but I ran one on the fly using a few adjustments to the spectator stat block in the 5E <i>Monster Manual</i>.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, 3.xE introduced the beast of Bane template to represent a creature touched by the Black Lord. They had a barghest-like ability to devour a creature and they could produce fear by howling or roaring. It wouldn't take too much to do the same thing in either 4E or 5E and give such creatures as wolves, worgs, hellhounds, manticores, wyverns etc... a howling attack that created some sort of fear effect. And other than that, all you would need to do is change their colour to black with emerald green for their eyes, tongues, breath weapons etc.... (I rather like the imagery of a black manticore firing off bolts of baatorian green steel [that's a substance introduced in one of the 3.xE books: <i>Arms & Equipment Guide</i>, perhaps?].) <br />
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But the main reason to run <i>Red Hand of Doom</i> is to fight goblins and lots of them. And that doesn't change whether the BBEG is Bane or Tiamat.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b></b></u></span><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Summing Up</b></span></u><br />
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Speaking selfishly, I now have the outline for the rest of my campaign following on from events in Phandalin and possibly a side-trip to the Caves of Chaos. That aside, I think there's a fairly logical progression from <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> to <i>Red Hand of Doom</i> with a penultimate confrontation against the goblin horde around the walls and within the gates of Neverwinter, followed by a final battle in a temple of either Bane or Tiamat with an aspect of the appropriate deity.</div>
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While there it doesn't then allow an easy segue into <i>Hoard of the Dragon Queen</i> or <i>Rise of Tiamat </i>because of the level of the PCs, if you were to skip <i>Part V: Fane of Tiamat/Fane of the Black Lord</i> as detailed here then <i>Rise of Tiamat</i> does become a possibility. However, a few more easter eggs may be required to better link it into <i>Rise</i>.</div>
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But for my game this is nearly perfect. It's an outline based on a tried and tested adventure and it allows me to continue to feature the Zhentarim as the BBEGs of my first foray into 5E. And that to me feels more like the Realms than trying to stop Tiamat from being freed....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-37724520439997314102015-01-25T23:32:00.001+08:002015-01-25T23:32:12.706+08:00Stat Blocks - The Nashers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IjlVTLpxO62cwpWyJVOceg5jm3-m4KSAANgzSOEnqol_JJtr0twmdhBktaOyEdwaMp9MnA8ICrwIUlM-epQa3UsTm869Nvxl40FY3F7vGZ-oHEa7RsrCmDt-lKJFZmbchOpwkmDSMJo/s1600/NPC+The++Nashers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IjlVTLpxO62cwpWyJVOceg5jm3-m4KSAANgzSOEnqol_JJtr0twmdhBktaOyEdwaMp9MnA8ICrwIUlM-epQa3UsTm869Nvxl40FY3F7vGZ-oHEa7RsrCmDt-lKJFZmbchOpwkmDSMJo/s1600/NPC+The++Nashers.jpg" height="134" width="200" /></a></div>
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The Nashers played an important role in my <i>Neverwinter: Year of the Ageless One</i> campaign back in 2012 when we first began. (It's been a long haul to get as far as we have!)</div>
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I had them as an amoral counterpart to the Sons of Alagondar, with the Sons representing those who wanted a true heir of the last king/lord Nasher Alagondar to rule the city - and considered Lord Neverember nothing but a pretender - while the Nashers were claiming that they were, indeed, the legitimate heirs of Nasher Alagondar and thus should rule Neverwinter.</div>
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The Nashers had also attracted quite a following in Blacklake District in part because they were relatively wealthy and ran the district's only abattoir. They were also loansharks and thugs. </div>
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The reason they played an important role is that the best (and first) skill challenge that I ever ran involved a scene where the Nashers and the PCs were competing to sway a crowd to their side and the PCs won. The result was great but, as a DM, I was simply more happy that I was able to get a skill challenge to work! </div>
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Anyway, on the off chance that someone is still running 4E and may get some use from their stat blocks, there they are.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Andorn Nasher</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmeHRWCC7YDHWxOvIXU5sbShWrrpjKnW2SQiBIHXgGQPACeq6HldLQYojkFp-ofvIZi1rTp4o1l-Ueo19VCIldPOVJMVQBeQUBUr6oC9K_Wi_1f8tk5-1X-1IIJVa_AfpJk-7DOGWeWk/s1600/NPC+Andorn+Nasher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmeHRWCC7YDHWxOvIXU5sbShWrrpjKnW2SQiBIHXgGQPACeq6HldLQYojkFp-ofvIZi1rTp4o1l-Ueo19VCIldPOVJMVQBeQUBUr6oC9K_Wi_1f8tk5-1X-1IIJVa_AfpJk-7DOGWeWk/s1600/NPC+Andorn+Nasher.jpg" height="200" width="102" /></a></div>
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The oldest of the four brothers and definitely their leader, the
charismatic demagogue Andorn was, in the course of the skill challenge,
the one whom the PCs were really competing with. However, he was no
match for the thaneborn barbarian Griemolt whose outstanding rolls and
good roleplaying - coupled with the voice amplification provided by the
bard Aelar (as Aelar had an at-will thunder power, I allowed him to use
this to boost Griemolt's voice with a successful Arcana check) - won the crowd over in very short order.</div>
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All that was left to Andorn was to order his brothers to kill these "usurpers" but he played a negligible role in the ensuing combat as Griemolt killed him in the first round. Things would have ended very differently if Griemolt <i>et al</i> had failed to win the crowd to their side....</div>
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In the picture above, Andorn is the first on the left.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Boelel Nasher</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jyfqgmL5T6T8no1GXlu9M9voDRghksBkbiNwzBruCc1yLEmh_HiU5mELCkzEsUGQqhHgkQ8FXLynWBdU0jMOEjvNFOfkYM8LFSB_6tUtesBVB_yb-BHsiyTuHcE6T7ReYInf3nHwCeo/s1600/NPC+Boelel+Nasher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jyfqgmL5T6T8no1GXlu9M9voDRghksBkbiNwzBruCc1yLEmh_HiU5mELCkzEsUGQqhHgkQ8FXLynWBdU0jMOEjvNFOfkYM8LFSB_6tUtesBVB_yb-BHsiyTuHcE6T7ReYInf3nHwCeo/s1600/NPC+Boelel+Nasher.jpg" height="159" width="200" /></a></div>
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I think my favourite 4E monster type is the brute. They're simple to design and they're satisfying in play. I like combination of low AC (the PCs almost always hit...), high hit points (... but the brute keeps fighting...), and high damage (... and the players are scared). </div>
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In the combat that followed, Boelel did something that I think has only happened two times in this campaign: he dropped the dwarf fighter to 0 hit points. I enjoyed that. </div>
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Boelel appears on the far right of the picture above.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Darraudan Nasher</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0nCyVnPuDTxVZ7m1qIhruvqkDhFcaiJO996ltQXs7iyivDkp4hrHfnk4xq8QvOnaSlerkaPT_6N1wmX_Tm0lEFZznJbI6AhqG2JYAKx_6VM9kzbye-hUW96_u9ucTGLjDUPDmpqfo6Y/s1600/NPC+Darraudan+Nasher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0nCyVnPuDTxVZ7m1qIhruvqkDhFcaiJO996ltQXs7iyivDkp4hrHfnk4xq8QvOnaSlerkaPT_6N1wmX_Tm0lEFZznJbI6AhqG2JYAKx_6VM9kzbye-hUW96_u9ucTGLjDUPDmpqfo6Y/s1600/NPC+Darraudan+Nasher.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
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Darraudan was there for the PCs to
hate. In keeping with his chaotic evil alignment, he was the one the
other residents of Blacklake complained about and was the <i>casus belli</i>, so to speak, for the PCs' confrontation with the Nashers.</div>
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He was fairly effective in combat and his <i>quick feint</i> worked fairly well to set up decent damage.</div>
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Story-wise,
my plan was actually to have this psychopathic murderer return as a
higher level undead mohrg but the PCs chose to take the unconscious
Darraudan to be executed and he was beheaded. I didn't think a headless
mohrg made that much sense.... However, I still have hopes of running
another group through Neverwinter and, if I do, the defeated Darraundan
is definitely going to come back!</div>
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He's the second from the left in the picture above. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Gommar Nasher</b></u></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCYebnvmxRJ5QkM4NJzrmUxafOkwkpGUA6wCngfutU1zq8mAxYPI3mxyXUI_nRDIYTykJwzhSOz9G561dU2OBf3B5vsfRLrrhakJgMJZ-27v45o63M3V3vQo-B5panhj1qOsUvwVh4rs/s1600/NPC+Gommar+Nasher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCYebnvmxRJ5QkM4NJzrmUxafOkwkpGUA6wCngfutU1zq8mAxYPI3mxyXUI_nRDIYTykJwzhSOz9G561dU2OBf3B5vsfRLrrhakJgMJZ-27v45o63M3V3vQo-B5panhj1qOsUvwVh4rs/s1600/NPC+Gommar+Nasher.jpg" height="194" width="200" /></a></div>
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My predilection for brutes appears once more.</div>
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While Andorn may have dropped the PC dwarf fighter, it was Gommar who did the damage in the first instance. Oh yes, I enjoyed unleashing this brute against the PCs. One of the things I like about both Andorn and Gommar is that you can see their pictures and imagine exactly what they do in the course of their butchery business, and then the stat block reflects the way that would translate into a fighting style. That's something I don't you can do in 5E.</div>
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Obviously, Gommar is the second from the right waving a butcher's hammer above his head.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A Note on Formatting</b></u></span><br />
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I don't know what goes wrong with Blogger so often. I cannot put the pictures where I want them to go, nor can I get the fonts to stay constant through my posts. And, consistent with the saying "beggars can't be chooser" I cannot really complain as this is a free product. Nevertheless, it is still annoying....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-58487375536590774142015-01-09T23:43:00.001+08:002015-01-10T16:22:09.691+08:00Starter Set Sandbox 17 - Hexcrawling Around Phandalin (post updated - previous post incomplete)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7XnH61yMzm2BPNFVsIvpvIeAc6UWXlNosw6LJS2NHb8ZcRsERoGbGH26FJBdx_-XQ7z-9Rr1yL6Q41l36ZsCHfmZunPYr2hmkGHHUIcHytjQdj3I9rY5SK-PM6PjzMnWLtto3C4yUhs/s1600/Townmaster's+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7XnH61yMzm2BPNFVsIvpvIeAc6UWXlNosw6LJS2NHb8ZcRsERoGbGH26FJBdx_-XQ7z-9Rr1yL6Q41l36ZsCHfmZunPYr2hmkGHHUIcHytjQdj3I9rY5SK-PM6PjzMnWLtto3C4yUhs/s1600/Townmaster's%2BMap.png" height="200" width="173" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i><span style="color: red;">As per the revised post title, I originally posted this before I completed the post. I've edited in the missing content now.</span></i></b><br /><br />In my <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-_vB4LSR-rpZ76w2Im6ggJyUzKGSbs7rnFBTXTTQXytQo8XVY_wuesF8nLs6GOttUhyuicJlmToJsGSymEirhW4iMPxa46Kss2c1l_JxkWgLazHYddht-K0GEHQe8wPK5gjoqRVu-i0/s1600/Townmaster's+Map.png">previous post</a>, I mentioned that I had now begun a 5E campaign set in and around Phandalin which I am currently calling <i><a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Rise%20of%20the%20Zhentarim">The Twilit Land: Rise of the Zhentarim</a></i> but may eventually be called by its original name - <i><a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Tyrant%20of%20the%20Twilit%20Land">Tyrant of the Twilit Land</a></i> - after a few more sessions. And If I end up with a beholder as the BBEG, it may even become <i>I, Tyrant</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For me, 5E is the third edition of AD&D, although I also recognise the influence of both 3.xE and 4E in its design, but it feels and plays like AD&D, IMO (and YMMV).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And in a conscious homage to that old school vibe that it gives me, the campaign has begun with the basic idea of having an updated version of the Caves of Chaos from <i>B2 The Keep on the Borderlands</i> as its centrepiece. However, besides the Caves of Chaos, and in keeping with the old school vibe, I wanted to throw in a hexcrawl with various locations that can be explored and/or avoided.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So that's all a long way of saying that I've prepared a hexcrawl map for the 10 mile x 10 mile area south and east of Phandalin and some other DMs may find it useful. The scale is 1/2 mile per hex. (It was created using Hexographer which is such an elegant programme that I wished I had used before.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And for those who want a little bit of inspiration for the locations I have placed on the map, here are my rough notes which I will gradually expand as we play.</span></span></div>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>01.01 Phandalin</b></u></span><br /><br />This also includes hexes 01.02 and 02.01. This is the village of Phandalin described in <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>04.12 The Statue Mines</b></u></span><br /><br />Although these mines are rich, nobody will go there because of the petrified miners around the entrance and through the entrance tunnel. Basilisks lair here… and grimlocks can also be found.<br /><br />The grimlocks worship a petrified, coiled, purple dragon (aka deep dragon) that "resides" in the middle of a vast amphitheatre-like cavern. The petrified dragon has been rubbed smooth over the centuries by the hands of grimlocks devotees.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">04.17 The Moathouse</span></b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I think anyone reading this blog is familiar with the the Moathouse from <i>T1 The Village of Hommlet</i> or the execrable <i>T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil</i>. I think it's a fantastic little dungeon and I think it might work here. Otherwise, this could instead be the <a href="http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Places/PlaceoftheUnicorn.htm">Place of the Unicorn</a> or even <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product_reviews.php?products_id=17104&it=1"><i>The Shattered Circle</i></a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I note that the Place of the Unicorn should probably be northwest of Phandalin rather than south... but maybe the Spellplague caused it to shift? That statement, of course, is entirely tongue-in-cheek....)<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>05.05 Mines of the Goblin King</b></u></span><br /><br />This is the location nearest to Phandalin and thus the one most likely to be explored first. I've already set up a Zhent-sponsored goblin threat to Phandalin in my game so this set of mines is going to be ruled by a goblin "king" but there will also be a Zhentarim presence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>10.03 The Last Copper Mines</b></u></span><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reason for the name is that miners believe you would have to be down to your last copper before you tried to delve these played-out mines which supposedly date back more than a thousand years…<br /><br />… and are notorious for bad luck so lots of small shrines to Beshaba can be found along the way. Failing to pay homage at these shrines - or, even worse, desecrating same, can result in the Maid of Misfortune visiting the unbeliever with disadvantage on all saving throws, attack rolls, or skill/ability checks, or even all three.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It would also be a good location to run 2E's <i><a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/17536/The-Dungeon-of-Death-2e?it=1">Dungeon of Death</a> </i>(which includes mines), although that adventure is set in The North so would require a few changes to place names and background details. And for those running it using 5E, you would need to convert a few monsters including the nabassu demons.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>10.11 The Nexus Caverns</b></u></span><br /><br />I am probably just regurgitating some ideas I had for the Old Owl Well, but I want at least one "weird dungeon" location in this area and I am thinking these could be something like <i>S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Frankly, I should also take a fresh look at the wilderness portions of <i>Lost Caverns</i> and see if I can translate them to this hexcrawl map....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>13.04 The Pit of Whispers</b></u></span><br /><br />I want to take the basic idea of <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dndclassics.com%2Fproduct_reviews.php%3Fproducts_id%3D17104%26it%3D1&ei=q92vVM2UAY-KuASBmIDIAg&usg=AFQjCNGo4wxe77UKOGUtmSUUJrevMPRzcg&sig2=fwyOOPq3cWe_OTrts8n6hA&bvm=bv.83339334,d.c2E"><i>The Shattered Circle</i></a> but have access to it be via a sinkhole or pit which resonates with weird whispers from the ancient past.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>13.07 The Spire of Uruth Ukrypt</b></u></span><br /><br />Ahhh, this is the orc-raised tower from the classic 3.5E adventure <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/3740/Sons-of-Gruumsh-35?it=1"><i>Sons of Gruumsh</i></a>. Besides orcs - and orogs! - this adventure also conveniently includes Zhentarim which suits my purposes perfectly. It's one of my favourite adventures that I have yet to run and the maps are simply superb.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>14.05 Forgotten Temple of Amaunator</b></u></span><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I ran a year-long 3.5E campaign at a game store that began a couple of days after the revised edition's release and it was set in and around Deadsnows in the Silver Marches. I ran it as something of a hexcrawl using the map of the area around Deadsnows that appeared in 3E's <i><a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/28616/Silver-Marches-3e?it=1">The Silver Marches</a></i> (one of FR's best ever regional supplements, IMO).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of the few dungeon locations I used in that campaign was a lost temple of Amaunator that dated back to the Netherese era and still contained the clerics of that time, albeit as undead huecuvae (I am hoping that's the correct spelling of the plural of <i>huecuva</i>). The map was actually based on the dungeon in <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/17159/B3-Palace-of-the-Silver-Princess-Basic?it=1"><i>B3 Palace of the Silver Princess</i></a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, I want to use it again. It's high up on a cliff top and accessible by a carefully hidden switchback path.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>15.10 Lost Forgebar Mines</b></u></span><br /><br />These are the Caves of Chaos from <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Rise%20of%20the%20Zhentarim"><i>B2 The Keep on the Borderlands</i></a>. They're supposed to be the focus of <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Rise%20of%20the%20Zhentarim">my new 5E game</a> but I'm now not sure if the PCs will get there! :)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>15.13 The Zhentarim Iron Mines</b></u></span><br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To support their activities in the area, and the eventually fitting out of the army they're raising, the Zhentarim have reopened some iron mines at this location and have pressed slave labour into doing the work. I don't have a published adventure to steal from at this point, but I may use the maps for the first section of the Mines of Tethyamar that appear in 3E's <i>Lords of Darkness</i>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>16.02 The Deep Delve</b></span></u><br /><br />I want these to be active mines because the PCs have met a band of dwarven miners who were heading there... but I am also so very tempted to run 3E's <a href="http://www.dndclassics.com/product/3737/The-Forge-of-Fury-3e?it=1"><i>Forge of Fury</i></a> at this point, in large part because this campaign needs a dragon and there is a black dragon in <i>Forge of Fury</i>.... <br /><br />Alternatively, this could also be 4E's <i>Orcs of Stonefang Pass</i>....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>18.15 Vulture's Roost</b></u></span><br /><br />This is from the DDi adventure of the same name.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>19.02 Temple of the Winds</b></u></span><br /><br />This is based on the Lair Assault involving the temple of Shaundakul. However, it may now be the demesne of an ogre mage or three.<br /><br />Basically, I want one location on this map to be up in the Sky. <i>Temple of the Skygod</i> is probably the best published fit, although I recall there is at least one published <i>Dungeon</i> adventure set in a cloud castle....</span></span></div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-83489259965318899202015-01-07T00:40:00.003+08:002015-01-10T17:09:34.127+08:00(5E) The Twilit Land: Rise of the Zhentarim 0 - Introduction & Hexcrawl Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I began typing this post, it was going to be a similar sort of introduction but for a campaign I was planning to call Tyrant of the Twilit Land. It was going to be largely based on <i>B2 The Keep on the Borderlands</i> - as explained in <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/12/starter-set-sandbox-14-phandalin-redux.html"><this post></a> - with the town of Phandalin from <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> taking the place of the titular keep. The Caves of Chaos would be lost dwarven mines where a tyrant - originally a beholder but I finally decided to use a blue dragon scion of the Blood of Morueme - had managed to unite disparate humanoid tribes and was gradually forging them into an army that would threaten Phandalin and other settlements in the North...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">... but then we played tonight and my attempts to make Phandalin feel like <i>Tombstone</i> resulted in the players deciding they wanted to clean up this town and make it a safe place for miners, farmers, and their families.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And as the Zhentarim were identified as the primary threat facing this town - more on this when I write up the session report in my next post - I decided to use some ideas I have been playing with since 2E about the civil war within the Zhentarim between the Cyricist and Banite factions. So, while the Zhents are definitely trying to secure their position within Phandalin because of its easy access to several mines they expect to have real value, there are also two factions within the Zhentarim that are competing with each other in a desire to dominate the Black Network.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anyway, here's some details of the four PCs that I'm running through this campaign which does not include a healer of any sort (but I do have a DMPC on standby, just in case).</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It's an odd group, including my very first drow ranger in 33+ years of D&D. But these are good players who I know won't turn the drow into some desperate, angst-filled, Drizzt-wannabe. And I am sure the fact that he is drow will be used against him more than once.... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>A. CG Male Drow Ranger</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Background:</b> Outlander.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Personality Traits:</b> I'm driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ideals:</b> Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Bonds:</b> An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Flaws:</b> Don't expect me to save those who can't save themselves. It is nature's way that the strong survive and the weak perish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A's favoured enemies are goblins and orcs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>B. CN Male Elf Monk</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Background:</b> Guild Merchant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Personality Traits:</b> I always want to know how things work and what makes people tick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ideals:</b> Freedom. Everyone should be free to pursue his or her own livelihood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Bonds:</b> I owe my guild a great debt for forging me into the person I am today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Flaws:</b> I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">B is holding a letter of introduction from the Lionshield Coster in Waterdeep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>C. LG Male Human Fighter</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Background:</b> Soldier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Personality Traits:</b> Haunted by images of war.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ideals:</b> Greater good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defence of others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Bonds:</b> I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Flaws:</b> I'd rather eat my armour than admit when I'm wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">C has a dice set (and, presumably, proficiency) and insignia of his former officer's rank. Unusually for a former soldier, he wears leather armour and fights with a greataxe. Coupled with his great strength (it is 18), the way he carries himself as a former soldier, and the fact that he is keeping company with a drow, the Zhentarim of Phandalin are going to look at him as a prospective recruit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">D. LG Male Human Warlock</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Background:</b> Noble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Personality Traits:</b> Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood. Even as a noble, I still feel the need to prove myself to others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Ideals:</b> Noble Obligation. I hope to become strong enough to protect all those beneath me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Bonds:</b> I will face any challenge to win the approval of my family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Flaws:</b> I hide a truly scandalous secret that could ruin my family forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A scion of House Adarbrent of Waterdeep, D enjoys the <i>position of privilege</i> trait of his Noble background. He also possesses a dragonchess set and presumably proficiency in same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hexcrawl!</span></b></u></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-_vB4LSR-rpZ76w2Im6ggJyUzKGSbs7rnFBTXTTQXytQo8XVY_wuesF8nLs6GOttUhyuicJlmToJsGSymEirhW4iMPxa46Kss2c1l_JxkWgLazHYddht-K0GEHQe8wPK5gjoqRVu-i0/s1600/Townmaster's+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-_vB4LSR-rpZ76w2Im6ggJyUzKGSbs7rnFBTXTTQXytQo8XVY_wuesF8nLs6GOttUhyuicJlmToJsGSymEirhW4iMPxa46Kss2c1l_JxkWgLazHYddht-K0GEHQe8wPK5gjoqRVu-i0/s1600/Townmaster's%2BMap.png" height="200" width="173" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been using an old computer for the past few weeks because of problems with my laptop which is being repaired. (And this is the Philippines so nothing happens quickly... or on time.) I had forgotten that I had bought Hexographer roughly four years ago and had never actually used it. Anyway, as part of a desire to give this campaign a bit of an old school vibe, I thought a hexcrawl might be the perfect complement to a conversion of <i>Keep on the Borderlands</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's the map I made in a few minutes using Hexographer (it really is fast!) but I am still brainstorming what each of the locations mean and will include them in another post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The PCs actually obtained this map during the course of the first session of play - see next post - which is going to help with the mechanics of actually running a hexcrawl online without using a virtual tabletop. <br /><br />BTW, the scale is 1/2 mile per hex. It's a pretty simple map so I hope it makes sense without further explanation. I've also posted some ideas about the locations in <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2015/01/starter-set-sandbox-17-hexcrawling.html"><this post></a>, part of my <i>Starter Set Sandbox</i> series.</span></div>
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<br />Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-50136754918247055032015-01-05T15:20:00.001+08:002015-01-05T15:20:07.952+08:005E: Is This the First Edition Where I Don't Care About Official Products?<div style="text-align: justify;">
We have our first 5E game scheduled for tomorrow - Tue 06Jan15 - and I will be running a Phandalin-based version of <i>B2 The Keep on the Borderlands</i> which I am currently calling <i>Tyrant of the Twilit Land</i>.</div>
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As I have mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I am not really a fan of the 5E rules but I want to run this game purely because of important friendships which, of course, trump petty quibbles about preferred D&D editions.</div>
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So, as I have been reading and rereading the various 5E products plus messageboard posts in order to ensure that I am properly psyched up and positive about playing an edition that is not my first choice, I suddenly realised: this is the first edition where I genuinely do not care what products D&D's publisher plans to release.</div>
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And that's not a slight on 5E. I realised that, after 34 years of running D&D, I've arrived in that place where a lot of old school D&D fans have been for decades: I am actually quite prepared to simply create my own stuff.</div>
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I lost interest in new monsters years ago and converting to 5E is quite simple. I have enough adventures to last me through several lifetimes DMing and conversion is pretty easy. I can create or convert any spells I feel I need because 5E is so like AD&D in this respect. And even my preferred campaign setting, the Forgotten Realms, is now at a point where I actually prefer my own direction for the world than the one that WotC is taking.</div>
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And there's my positive attitude toward 5E that I need to be in the right mood to run the game tomorrow: it's the edition I can really make my own, much like when D&D first became my hobby in 1981 and, as a 12-year old, I had no money.</div>
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Maybe I do like 5E after all....</div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3417307288214203410.post-533615770867523192015-01-03T18:07:00.000+08:002015-01-03T18:07:24.498+08:00Starter Set Sandbox 16 - Neverwinter Wood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-bh1QZfuFTEngsABDQXgeEZP7SSeVThcHoCb3I4uWPMdTQBMSOa16hODxgQddbFoqSTHyHMMLCbncyEjHW-0eWr9vjsP_HGIk0h3bgKsigJqNahyHS5peL5HJXAo9G5Ah4HprctpcG4/s1600/Neverwinter+Regional+Sandbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW-bh1QZfuFTEngsABDQXgeEZP7SSeVThcHoCb3I4uWPMdTQBMSOa16hODxgQddbFoqSTHyHMMLCbncyEjHW-0eWr9vjsP_HGIk0h3bgKsigJqNahyHS5peL5HJXAo9G5Ah4HprctpcG4/s1600/Neverwinter+Regional+Sandbox.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're reading this and you have <i>Lost Mine of Phandelver</i> but are not familiar with 4E's outstanding <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i>, you might be wondering why the map on the right, while covering the same general area as the regional map in Lost Mine, is otherwise a bit different in terms of including a number of other locations that do not appear on the regional map that you're familiar with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the context of a post about the Neverwinter Wood, I would point out the Dread Ring, Sharandar, and Xinlenal as locations that don't appear on the regional map in <i>Lost Mine</i> but which will feature below.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Realmslore</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>FR5 The Savage Frontier</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first reference I can find to the Neverwinter Wood is in <i>The Savage Frontier</i>, although it refers to the Neverwinter Woods (plural). Besides some references to Uthgardt tribes being present, it has this to say </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">This forest east of Neverwinter seems to have a magical quality about it, or at least an air of mystical secrecy. The always-warm Neverwinter river, which flows out of the wood, has its source deep beneath Mount Hotenow, a sleepy volcano in the northern wood. Fire elementals are said to live deep within Hotenow. The steep mountains to the north of Hotenow hide griffon lairs.<br /><br />These woods have never been logged by men (they are feared and shunned by the locals), and even today are largely unknown. The depths are said to harbour dire creatures. Orc hordes always go around the woods, never through them.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's also the description that is regurgitated in <i>The North</i> boxed set. And <i>Volo's Guide to the North</i> says even less, except noting that some logging does take place. (I would refer you to the earlier entry for <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2014/07/starter-set-sandbox-3-ruins-of.html">Thundertree</a> for information about a ruined logging village.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The FRCS took a <i>slightly</i> different tack with its description:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">This charmed forest to the east of the city of Neverwinter is perpetually warmed by the Neverwinter River that flows from beneath the dormant volcano Mount Hotenow. Humans, and even orcs, fear the wood and tend to avoid it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Unlike other forests with dangerous reputations, the Neverwinter seldom disgorges great monsters or evil forces - the unease felt by those who know they do not belong in the Neverwinter Wood stems partly from a terrible anticipation that the wood could do them damage if it chose.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Clearly, the Neverwinter Wood is meant to be a mysterious, fey place.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Champions of Ruin</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">An elven supremacist group, the <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Eldreth_Veluuthra">Eldreth Veluuthra</a> ("Victorious Blade of the People") was, to the best of my knowledge, first introduced in 2E's <i>Cloak & Dagger</i>. A throwaway reference was included to an Eldreth cell being present in the Neverwinter Wood. This reference was barely expanded in 3.5E's <i>Champions of Ruin</i> to two sentences: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">The Eldreth Veluuthra claims that the forbidding reputation owned by this mysterious forest is due in no small part to the activities of one of the oldest and largest cells in the organisation. Several other small cells also operate in the area.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Neverwinter Campaign Setting</span></b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHxAByn8CnLCkwCdTg-0h7tX7exVArq8zFkSE9ficPFEi1OXYCxtlWmBv4RZOmYmAfaC1AopQezehxIMBzJ2lHKMq4Xr_wY4vX_jw2BiA0k0aSOYRSntB9wtUAuGYDaqlf6YlKSgo4h8/s1600/Sharandar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHxAByn8CnLCkwCdTg-0h7tX7exVArq8zFkSE9ficPFEi1OXYCxtlWmBv4RZOmYmAfaC1AopQezehxIMBzJ2lHKMq4Xr_wY4vX_jw2BiA0k0aSOYRSntB9wtUAuGYDaqlf6YlKSgo4h8/s1600/Sharandar.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Sharandar in the Neverwinter MMORPG</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think it is fair to say that there are more words written about the Neverwinter Wood in 4E than in all the other editions combined.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Firstly, it addresses the appearance of the eladrin from the Feywild within the ruins of Sharandar, formerly the capital of the elven realm of Iliyanbruen: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">When the Spellplague shook Toril, the Feywild fell once more into alignment with the mortal realm. Over time, many denizens of that untamed world crept, dashed, or strode across the newly weakened barriers. <br /><br />Some eladrin from the Feywild kingdom of Iliyanbruen - who had fled when Illefarn fell into ruin long ago-decided to return to their ancestral roots. When the eladrin arrived at the portal connecting their forest to Neverwinter Wood, dark fey were already there. After driving out the evildoers, the band erected a military outpost in the surrounding wreckage on both sides of the portal and named it New Sharandar, after Iliyanbruen's former capital. Now the fey have spread through several of the ancient ruins, which time, nature, and intruders have ravaged.<br /><br />The eladrin want to restore their ancient city and smash in the heads of the pillagers that defiled it. Even though most of the fey reserve their anger for the thieves and ravagers, others aren't so precise in their wrath. These eladrin are enraged at the desecration of their ancestral homes. They believe the entire region is theirs by right, and they'll happily slaughter anyone who dares gainsay them.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(I would refer you to page 126-127 of the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> if you wish to continue reading: this is merely a quote.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From page 174 onwards, the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> begins addressing the Neverwinter Wood more directly:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Leagues beyond Neverwinter, a thick press of trees shrouds a foreign world in shadows and fear. In places, the land's brush grows into dense walls, and trespassers must hew through it branch by branch to gain access to the land's private places. Where the thickets are lighter and natural pathways allow for easier travel, the land's aura is no less menacing. Overhead, the canopy's branches and leaves intertwine into wooden fists, blotting out the sun and transforming the idea of" day" into a memory of brighter, safer domains. Travellers who risk entering this looming forest feel baleful eyes tracking their movements. Despite the warm temperature, a coldness creeps inside their clothing, sending shivers down their spines.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />This is Neverwinter Wood. Dark and brutal outsiders journey here to steal power, magic, and lives. Monstrous denizens of this world and others dwell here in shadows, glaring in hatred at ignorant mortals who think to tame the wilds. Here, the bones of ancient civilizations that believed their magic a match for the woods reside as testaments of their folly. And here, the ghosts of such mistakes haunt the edges of this foreign reality, never escaping the winter of their lives.</i> </span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A sidebar entitled <i>Looming Woods</i> then gives this flavour text some in-game effects:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A dark, ominous forest is enough to make anyone nervous. But in Neverwinter Wood, even the unease is unnatural. In areas of the woodland, travellers' disquiet thickens into a supernatural fear, becoming fantastic terrain.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Effect: Living creatures in affected squares must make a saving throw before rolling initiative. Those who fail are surprised during the first round of combat. Living creatures who fail a Perception check while in affected squares are convinced they heard or saw something moving nearby. Finally, living creatures take a -1 penalty to Will and saving throws against fear powers and effects.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Special: Creatures that live in these woods for more than a few weeks grow immune to this effect.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beyond those general comments, I want to include quotes about three of the locations in the Neverwinter Wood - Sharandar, Dread Ring, Xinlenal - that appear on the map at the beginning of this post. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Sharandar</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibataj0c2GEP4h4sOWhFzrmTDcAdfMM_rev2ILIVxWRhK97l36_6CpsH-YfoFoYfmRbbAXRl2j_bxzjrrsakBTo5_D-1V0P0fwuRYq3fGTACabmIaARBZF8OlEsBkAqGGOiH1I6TBi46c/s1600/53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibataj0c2GEP4h4sOWhFzrmTDcAdfMM_rev2ILIVxWRhK97l36_6CpsH-YfoFoYfmRbbAXRl2j_bxzjrrsakBTo5_D-1V0P0fwuRYq3fGTACabmIaARBZF8OlEsBkAqGGOiH1I6TBi46c/s1600/53.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ruins are described as follows:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Sharandar's structures were built high in trees, blending harmoniously with the forest's natural growth and forming a crown upon the canopy's brow. The thickest boles supported rounded platforms upon which peak-roofed homes and arching halls were erected. Skilled glassworkers crafted amber-tinted windows that sealed out the weather and gleaming lanterns from which mystical lights danced. Great bridges, both crafted and grown, linked one structure or tree with the next. Intricate knots, carved in wood and tied in branches, adorned ceilings, framed doors, and served as banisters to help keep occupants from toppling off platforms.</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><br />So it was. Since then, rot has been feasting, opening soft wounds in walls, ceilings, and floors for intruders to stumble through - likely to their deaths. Handrails sag dangerously, and entire sections of them are gone. Windows and lanterns are missing or shattered. Vines, lichens, mosses, and moulds snake along every surface. Small beasts, birds, and insects have reclaimed the trees, at times sharing the structures' remains with the more dangerous creatures that claimed them as lairs or with skulking invaders intent upon looting.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The descriptions continue beyond this quote and the impression the reader is left with is decayed magnificence. There is also a section further describing further the efforts to reclaim the ruins as New Sharandar but that's not a direction my only comments are heading in.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Dread Ring</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgManfOpfhLC5J84LtfTlusQJp5AjIm42OaexkdY4EvLdBIUfbMGDRISqRMzAcDtQisy4uECFvkBAKsLiMhUrOTyGcqiSmdQGlDYyGGcsBfVZF2gwJUceJiZh6H1T8fXUnuqxnxdJCeJWs/s1600/dr427+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgManfOpfhLC5J84LtfTlusQJp5AjIm42OaexkdY4EvLdBIUfbMGDRISqRMzAcDtQisy4uECFvkBAKsLiMhUrOTyGcqiSmdQGlDYyGGcsBfVZF2gwJUceJiZh6H1T8fXUnuqxnxdJCeJWs/s1600/dr427+7.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My PCs will soon be tackling the Dread Ring as part of their <i>Bones of the Thunderbeast</i> major quest so I am rather biased when it comes to potential of including the Dread Ring as a part of a campaign. I have already covered off a lot of the ideas I have for the Dread Ring <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/2013/01/neverwinter-brainstorming-red-wizards.html"><here></a> (or you can follow this <a href="http://my-realms.blogspot.com/search/label/Dread%20Rings%20of%20Thay"><tag></a>) but I will include a fairly long quote from the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> just to explain the location with a little bit of detail:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">In Neverwinter Wood's deepest region, where shadows weigh on travellers like wet wool, something malign lurks. The thick forest ends abruptly, its border abutting a circular field of ash. Animals give wide berth to the site, and the surrounding forest land is blanketed in a chilling, breathless silence. Heavy, stale air - redolent with the tang of disease - resists any breeze, stubbornly squatting over the clearing.<br /> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">A few hundred feet in from the perimeter, black stones rise from cracked, lifeless soil. Walls, pillars, spindly towers, and gaping gates form an uneven circle of nefarious import. This structure, a combination of ritual focus and functional fortress, is one of Thay's Dread Rings. Szass Tam, the lich regent of Thay, created the rings for use in a fell ritual in his quest to attain godhood. His efforts were thwarted, however, and this ring is now the centre of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3417307288214203410&pli=1#editor/target=post;postID=4145191172987495546;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=107;src=postname">Valindra Shadowmantle</a>'s regional efforts. Despite its stones having been broken, its walls hanging open, and its initial purpose going unfulfilled, the structure still holds more power than any sane person would want Thay to possess.<br /> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Adventurers who approach the ring do so without their mounts, since typical beasts step into the circle of ash only if they are forced. Familiars, beast companions, and the like are apt to proceed, snarling or whimpering, if their masters do.<br /> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Even within the unnatural oppression of Neverwinter Wood, the ring's malignity stands out against the surrounding landscape's. Characters who have training in Arcana automatically sense the magic in the broken walls of the Dread Ring (though they cannot tell its purpose). As their teeth chatter, their palms sweat, and their souls clench, even the most unobservant adventurers can tell this is a warped place.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Suffice to say, that's the sort of place that almost any DM could turn into a truly horrifying adventuring environment.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Xinlenal</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dGSfdcSbGcejaEX8_-i-zAS8gNBBzZHxHDZ8g959_rljHJhP4cZgY-ij5R3SeWaJWlIzf0thsnmALYos9lDT6O07a7xhMBpApotnlkd-K23WW325Gsj2nC5SIgQS5DrEKWTywagsfU4/s1600/NWCG+(33).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dGSfdcSbGcejaEX8_-i-zAS8gNBBzZHxHDZ8g959_rljHJhP4cZgY-ij5R3SeWaJWlIzf0thsnmALYos9lDT6O07a7xhMBpApotnlkd-K23WW325Gsj2nC5SIgQS5DrEKWTywagsfU4/s1600/NWCG+(33).jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some 20-25 miles away from the Red Wizards of Thay with their Dread Ring, you have the other ubiquitous power group of the 4E Realms, The Netherese or Shadovar, seeking to recover one of their flying cities that crashed <a href="http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Karsus%27s_Folly">during the whole Karsus debacle a couple of thousand years ago</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">In the woodland's eastern reaches, the forest floor smacks into an earthen wall that rises about 60 feet before stretching into a plateau. Although the rise is not especially great, the topside's thick canopy and heavy overgrowth shroud it in secrecy. Beneath this wooded cloak, cracked and scattered structures and winding avenues intertwine with the forest's vines, grasses, and branches.<br /><br />This plateau holds the wreckage of Xinlenal, the First Enclave of Netheril. The earliest of the Netherese flying cities, Xinlenal plummeted to the earth when magic briefly ceased to function during the empire's fall. Here it has lain for nearly two millennia. However, if Prince Clariburnus has his way, the First Enclave might soon soar again. </span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While not as horrifying as the Dread Ring, there's a lot to be said for a megadungeon environment which, if you don't defeat the BBEG, turns into a <i>flying</i> megadungeon. Now why didn't I make this a more important part of my current campaign...?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Putting it Together</b></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Old School</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you're a old school DM, you want to be able to run a hexcrawl as well as have at least one megadungeon in the midst of those hexes that the PCs can explore. The Neverwinter Wood is that hexcrawl. PCs can fight their way through evil fey, including elf/eladrin-supermacists, while encountering the corrupt necromantic creations of the Dread Ring and the soldiers of the Netherese. And then the Dread Ring, Sharandar, and Xinlenal are all megadungeon environments. (Dread Ring, to me, seems an almost perfect place to set <i>Barrowmaze</i>, for example.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And when the PCs screw up in Xinlenal, it turns into a flying city and now they have to deal with the threat that this poses and the potential that it offers. I am sure any player would remember the time their DM gave them a flying city for years to come!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Not Old School</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The critical issue in the Neverwinter Wood is the presence of the Red Wizards of Thay and their Dread Ring. It corrupts the entire forest. Such is the threat that it poses that even the most xenophobic of the Eldreth would consider allying with a group of PCs in order to end the Thayan threat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the threat posed by the Netherese is negligible. Even if they raise Xinlenal, their interests are elsewhere. (Also, if you're setting your campaign after the events of The Sundering, the Netherese are all but wiped out. As such, I would expect that a group of Netherese who managed to escape from the fate of most of their fellows would use a repaired flying city to start life anew in a place that posed less of a threat. On that note, it might be interesting to have the Netherese of Xinlenal, regardless of when your campaign is taking place, actually be those who simply want to live a peaceful life and not a life of empire and conquest. As such, the PCs may end up deciding to help them....)<br /><br />So, that leaves us with the Dread Ring as the focus of any adventuring in the Neverwinter Wood. And breaking the Dread Ring's power should require something along the lines of what is needed to destroy an old school artefact. In my campaign, the power to destroy the Dread Ring and remove its blight is contained within three <i>Tears of </i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Selûne</i> - inspired by the DDi adventure <i>Shards of Selûne</i> - for which my PCs quested from levels 3-8.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">As the Dread Ring is, for all intents and purposes, an insult (and anathema) to nature, any artefact connected to druids, primal forces, nature deities etc... could fill the same macguffin-like role that the </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Tears of </i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Selûne</i> have filled in my own game. (If you own 2E's <i>Prayers from the Faithful</i>, I would recommend the Eldathyn relic the Crystrum of Tranquillity.) </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">Otherwise, the Dread Ring is an opportunity to go wild with dungeon design. It doesn't need to make logical sense - the <i>Neverwinter Campaign Setting</i> makes this plain - because reality breaks down in parts of the structure. Break out the old school random dungeon generation tables....</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">As already mentioned, the elves and eladrin of the Eldreth Veluuthra represent a cleart and present danger to those who enter the Neverwinter Wood. While that can mean, in simple terms, unexpected battles with "good" elves, it could be interesting to play up "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"-angle only for the Eldreth to betray the PCs once the Thayans are dealt with.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Summing Up</span></b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'll keep this brief: evil elves and three megadungeons each with their own unique flavour, including the possibility that one could be made to fly? Yeah, I think most DMs would see the potential of running adventures in such a location.</span></div>
Scrivener of Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13863577322310179686noreply@blogger.com7