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m0b1us
Pie
(11/6/02 5:08:09 am)
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Problems problems problems...
Hello everyone, i started dming Rtttoee for my party about a month ago. Unfortunately by the time we started Rtttooee my party was in average at 5th level.
The adventure begun at the moathouse where a few changes in ELs made it more applicable for their level. Now however they have just finished up Moathouse completely and are on their way to Verbobonc ("to sell those holy symbols" ehehe)
So my worries begin on their return home, what should happen in Homlet regarding the cult there how they should procceed to Nulm and later to Rastor. I would like them to avoid entirely the Ruined Temple which could be a waste of their time since the EL's are very small and there would be nothing to find at this moment on.
So reading a thread by someone here i was thinking of the following:
As the heros return to homlet they are seeing from a far distance smoke coming up from the village. The mill has caught fire. By the time they arrive mill's upper floor has been burned to ashes.
However the cellar remains intact (something they don't yet know) and no member of the cult is inside. After searching they retrieve a letter regarding Master's Dunrat need to check Lareth at Nulb since there are rumors of strange adventureres in the region.
So this could trigger them to get to Nulb from where they could get to Rastor by reading the letter the Master Dunrat carries onto him (that used to be in the mill's cellar) or from Lareth if they rpg with him. Still even with this twist i think that this level advancement will be haunting me.
Something else, considering they have reached Rastor would it be wise to let Tal get in touch with them and try to sell them Tanbrosh?
Generally i could really use any comments for this part of the adventure so that i wont mess things. It's a pitty for such an adventure the dm to screw up :-)
With regards,
mobius
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Siobharek 
Orc
(11/6/02 5:15:16 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems...
Has your group missed the note in the moat house? Geynor Ton's journal quite specifically mentions the mill. If it's not too late, I might remind my players to check the handouts again.
The fire might be a good idea. It could be a way for the cultists in Hommlet to try and destroy the evidence. But why would Dunrat have left the note about Lareth in Nulb behind? Having him drop such an important letter may seem a little tacky to some players.
There is also a random encounter near the old temple where a cleric carries a map of Hommlet, Rastor, and Mt. Stalagos around. That'll help the PCs if everything else fails.
Good luck with the adventure. You might want to rethink your strategy of upping the ELs - it'll only create a spiralling upwards of XP, making your characters even more powerful and giving you more work. If you let the characters go through the "easy" parts without giving them too many xp, it'll correct itself in the end.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
m0b1us
Pie
(11/6/02 5:45:01 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems
They have taken the Geynor Ton's journal yet they didn't pay any attention so that they can think of what to do next. That's why i want to lead them that way.
Regarding on why the letter could be left behind...Someone saw the cult members while they tried to ignite the fire. However they spoted him and before he was able to warn Homlet he was dead. However still next to the bodie lays a piece of paper (the letter) that the victim managed to knock off Mst Dunrat during their battle (not that it would take that long)
Or even more he left it in the mill considering that it would be burned down to ashes and with this the piece of paper would be destroyed to. Perphaps it is destroyed, but yet a small piece of paper mentioning something "Go to Nulb" remained...
What do you think?
Regarding the strategy of raising the el's i know you have a point. I've thought of that too yet i can't resist. However this is most likely what i am about to do.
Regards,
mobius
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Siobharek
Orc
(11/6/02 5:49:31 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems
having the paper escape being burned completely will work, I think. As to the ELs... if you're dead set on boosting, I've in fact already done it. Go here if you want the boosted CRM. But remember that they've been made for 6 characters, each about 2 levels higher than the recommended levels.
Good luck 
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
m0b1us
Pie
(11/6/02 6:03:28 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems
I am afraid that something this big could wipe them entirely down. :-) Even so, I will check it out just to see what is the best way to do everything.
Thanks alot
I am really gratefull for all your help :-)
Regards,
m0bius
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Siobharek
Orc
(11/6/02 6:11:42 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems
Mobius, I think I forgot to mention that you'll need a Yahoo account to access the boosted maps. Once you have that membership, there are no restrictions to downloading the files.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
SSShadowcat7
Pie
(11/6/02 9:14:12 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems
I'll just throw in that I recommend not adjusting the encounters. It can get out of hand very quickly and lead you to a whole lot of work. Basically you'll have to rewrite every opponent in the module if you keep on upping the encounter levels.
The group I run has an average of 6-8 PCs in it. I began the module by raising the challenge of a few key encounters, but that led to a vicious circle of the party being too powerful for what was written all the time. Plus, if you add power to the encounters you'll have to add the appropriate increase in treasure & rewards.
I have since stopped increasing the encounters (I only did it for a few places in the Moathouse and one or 2 in the CRM) and things are going well. Sure, there are easy encounters for the party to waltz through, but as they get in further it becomes much more difficult.
Hope your game goes well, whatever you decide.
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Trithereon
Pie
(11/6/02 9:34:17 am)
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Re: Problems problems problems...
The miller and his wife’s body will eventually be found. If a Hommlet cleric or an inquisitive PC cleric cast Speak with Dead and asks key questions then he may get cryptic clues that may help.
The exact situation surrounding Karlun’s death is uncertain. Dunrat’s decision to kill Karlun was unwise if he wanted to remain a secret in a small town like Hommlet. Being the owner of the largest grain mill in town gives you a certain status among your neighbors. Karlun was murdered “just days” before your PCs arrived in town. The mill workers aren’t charmed and they should be extremely suspicious that the miller (thier source of money) goes missing for long – especially when your boss has recently taken in a suspicious group of strangers.
What I imagined happened, IMC, was that the charmed Karlun had overheard key conversations that Dunrat had with his cohorts, including that Dunrat had sent for a wagon from Rastor. I assume that a town like Rastor is at least known in Hommlet as that small town at the foot of an ancient crater, rich in both minerals and curses.
The horror stories that survived the arrival of the doomdreamers must have some legend beyond the dirty streets of Rastor. When the dwarves finally succumb to curses of the CRM they left behind their secrets and treasure. Indeed, IMC, people like Tymerian are adventurers lured more by the legend of lost dwarf treasure then because of some mystery cult. By the time they find out that it is anything more, its too late and those adventurers are either killed or driven insane. IMC, my players are the first to survive half of the doomdreamer’s CRM.
My point is: assume the same as above for your campaign and that the PC cast Speak with Dead on the body of Karlun. Some key questions and answers could be:
Q: Who killed you?
A: A master in search of secrets.
Q: Where did he (the master) come from?
A: From under the cratered sky.
The clues refer to Master Dunrat and his excavation at the moathouse and that he came from the Rastor area. The cratered Mt. Stalagos is only 6 miles away and it should be clearly visible from Rastor. Indeed, depending on the surrounding terrain (your call) it may dominate the skyline to the southwest of Rastor, or it just might stand out because of its truncated top when compared to other nearby weathered, forested mountains. A Hommlet local should be able to help out with the "cratered sky" clue. Once they get to Rastor, Mt. Stalagos should be obvious from either its geographic profile or from its effects on the citizens of Rastor.
P.S. I agree with the sentiment to not increase the EL to match that of the party, or do it very selectively. It is alot of work, and can be fun, but it does tend to spiral out of control because as they get the increased XP they will be "too high" levels for what they are doing and you'll have to constantly tweak it higher. A simple trick to make encounters last a little longer (and seem more challenging) is to simply increase the listed hit points of the major NPC and monsters. The listed hit points are just the average hit points. My players have higher then average hit points (lucky rolls, as I monitor them) so why can't some of the key NPC have higher than normal hit points? You don't have to overdo it, but if D'gran has 80-90% of his potential hit points it may give him that extra combat round to make the players wish they'd never met him - right before they kill him.
What’cha think? Is it doable for your campaign?
Edited by: Trithereon at: 11/6/02 10:20:53 am
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Trithereon
Pie
(11/6/02 10:14:41 am)
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Tanbrosh problems...
Something else, considering they have reached Rastor would it be wise to let Tal get in touch with them and try to sell them Tanbrosh?
I tried to keep Tanbrosh secret. I've been successful but only because my players avoid Rastor like the plague.
IMC, Tanbrosh is a purified extract from a local floral species. The leaves are often chewed by the locals as it is a mild stimulant. Like coffee. They chew it on their ways to the mines to get them ready for another dangerous day beneath the earth. It wakes them up, sharpens their senses a little and gives them a little pep.
Tal Chammish has recently (re)discovered (a secret found in a dream perhaps? Big T.) a way to refine Tanbrosh leaf into a very potent drug. He has been selling it to a small market of desparate individuals. If its manufacture and use became widespread people like Rerrid might notice and take offense.
So, my invisible PC had overseen a Tanbrosh transaction between Tal Chammish and an addict, but they never investigated it. They were more focused on the big crater nearby. My players think Chammish is a small-time spy for the cultists, which he is IMC, but have no idea that he has a cadre of slave-addicts to do his bidding.
Hmmm, maybe my players were better off staying away from Rastor. Sabotage done by pathetic, desperate drug-crazed NPCs can be a very nasty tactic.
Edited by: Trithereon at: 11/6/02 10:16:38 am
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inthane chan
Pie
(11/6/02 10:36:11 am)
Reply
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"spicing up" an encounter...
Another way to boost encounter difficulty, without giving the players an unneeded XP boost, is to grant a +2 unnamed bonus to all attack + damage rolls made against them.
The DCs of the Doomdreamer spells are already so damn high, that you don't really need to add any bonuses there.
<a href=http://cryptome.org/ed-curry.htm>Remember Ed Curry!<a> |
 Infiniti2000
Pie
(11/6/02 10:47:47 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: "spicing up" an encounter...
"The DCs of the Doomdreamer spells are already so damn high, that you don't really need to add any bonuses there."
Agreed. This is the primary reason why I will allow one of my PC's to become a Fatespinner, though I still will likely not allow him to force an enemy to reroll Seal Fate. It must take a lot of energy to perform a Seal Fate.
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Siobharek
Orc
(11/6/02 11:48:37 pm)
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Re: "spicing up" an encounter...
Heh, I allowed my cleric of Istus to become a (modified for clerical use) Fatespinner. He's taken to it like a fish to water. Even accumulated spin points (which you do by reducing save DCs) in their fight against Tessimon.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
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