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Roland Delacroix
Here for a while
(12/31/02 5:08:05 pm)
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Renovating the Moathouse
After a near TPK (one PC survived) a whole new second party is coming in at 5th level to be joined by the survivor. One of the new PC's is going for the Warpriest PrC and will be taking Leadership next level. Part of the plot hook for bringing them in is the unclaimed deed to the unoccupied moathouse. This player intends to take it over and stock it with his followers.
I'm wondering what that will entail exactly, and looking for any ideas. This player intends to Stone Shape the Obelisk room closed and seal off that part of the castle. An OK temp solution, his next problem is paying to get the moathouse repaired. How much do you think that would cost? Plus stocking it, food, furniture, etc?
Assuming he does that, whats the best way to 'neutralize' the evil pillar and grell portal, temporarilly or permanantly? His god (still TBA, but either Lawfull or Good) sent him there in a dream to both defeat Tharizdun and guard the moathouse (read: the Obelisk) from further misuse. Do you think the Obelisk is so evil that dealing with it won't wait till after RttToEE?
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Kelashein
Looking around
(12/31/02 7:13:54 pm)
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Re: Renovating the Moathouse
An interesting twist. The first problem will be the ghouls that reappear every morning. Can be solved by sealing the dungeon itself completely. Later in the adventure, the bad guys can figure out what has happened to their precious Moathouse and a group of them could kill some peasants and raise them so that they'll rise again every day to pester your cleric's forces. They can do this at minimal risk, too because once their assortment of skeletons/zombies and so on are inside the Moathouse, they can leave--mission accomplished.
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Morlot
Looking around
(1/1/03 10:05:01 am)
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Re: Renovating the Moathouse
Of course, the renovation of the Moathouse is a nice twist...
IMC, the Moathouse is going to be rebuilt too.
But it is the Utreshimon, who is the proud master of the Moathouse now 
My players were too afraid/pacifistic to confront the Dragon, managing to negotiate not to be killed.
The hardest thing for them is to keep their morals and pride low.
They are paying about 30% of the loot they retrieve from the dungeoun as a tribute to Utreshimon now.
The Dragon has enough vanity to spend some of his new treasures for the renovation works.
The gnome Illusionist - Niereti Poscurian, became the lackey of the Dragon, tempted by the possible power position, will manage the reconstruction project.
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The guy from Belgium
Looking around
(1/1/03 1:03:41 pm)
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Re: Renovating the Moathouse
one way to solve the obelisk room is to flood it with the underground spring. just make a channel towards trhe obelisk room, block any natural escape channels, flood it and seal it afterwards with the stone shape or whatever.
then you can start renovating the place.
the price would be steep, especially for 5th level characters.
consult the stronghold builder's guide by WoTC for detailed prices or the sword and fist - last chapter on how to build keeps and stuff
and then there'd have to be a maintenance staff and the likes...
pretty complicated to be managed by adventureing characters, even with followers and the likes to run the place
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Roland Delacroix
Here for a while
(1/3/03 12:02:28 am)
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Great stuff!
Thanks for the ideas everyone! Keleshain: I don't think any new undead are gonna be a problem. In my experience mid level clerics destroy any lesser undead pretty easy, and this party has 2 clerics. The re-occuring ghouls are a problem. What rooms, exactlly do you think can be sealed off? It looks like they could keep rooms 37, 38 and 39, maybe even rooms 19-30. As long as they seal off 31-34 and flood the obelisk chamber. That sound good?
The stronghold builder guide is great! Who technically owns that land anyway? I assume the "under legal dispute" and possibly "site in lawless area" modifiers apply? Elmo gets out there though, so could it be within Rufus and Burnes turf? Is that DM conjecture? 
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The guy from Belgium
Here for a while
(1/3/03 4:23:37 am)
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Re: Great stuff!
i'd have them strike a deal with the leaders in hommlet (rufus and burne)
technically, there's no other claim to the moat house, so i'd play it that way!
there've been a lot of parties who asked command and ownership of the moathouse in exchange for purging it of evil
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ZansForCans 
Here for a while
(1/3/03 11:18:10 am)
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Re: Great stuff!
Quote:
The stronghold builder guide is great! Who technically owns that land anyway? I assume the "under legal dispute" and possibly "site in lawless area" modifiers apply? Elmo gets out there though, so could it be within Rufus and Burnes turf? Is that DM conjecture?
I think it's pretty much up to you. The only thing that would give any direction is that I'm pretty sure it's within the borders of the Viscounty of Verbobonc. B&R's castle was funded by someone in the City proper, if I'm remembering rightly, so I'm not sure they even 'own' the land that it's on, per se. I can easily see it under their purview though.
I would see the ghouls as being a bigger issue though. Without some way of destroying/nullifying the obelisks' power, I can't see that sealing off rooms and flooding the chamber is more than just a stopgap measure. What's to prevent the ghouls from slowly sraping their way through wall and rock to reach the living? The sound might be quite spooky... Are your commoner residents going to believe the adventurers that it's really safe? What will happen when someone dies in the habitable areas? You have lots of fun RP material here! 
I suppose some permanent magic might help. Or maybe you can invent some elaborate (and expensive?) ritual that could divest the obelisk of its power.
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Roland Delacroix
Here for a while
(1/3/03 2:56:32 pm)
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Scary
Yep, its a temp measure for sure. I'm telling the player a little, but not too much. I like the idea of the ghouls scraping the walls and the terror involved, thanks! Great stuff! Every night when the players go to sleep: "You hear the ever present whispering of the ghouls claws on stone. Wait. Is it getting closer? It seems louder than before...or does it? Sleep, and nightmares of being an undead's repast slowly take you...." Spice the game up with the occasional ghoul raid. Not enough to drive them from the moathouse, but enough to make it uncomfortable. They already (think they) know the moathouse is safer than Rastor or Hommlet for them.
They are really too broke to fix the moathouse up right now, so they will throw a few Stone Shapes and stuff to patch some holes. I don't think there will be any commoners there initially, only his followers who are mostly warriors. They will keep a sharp eye on the dungeons, watching for breakouts.
RttToEE is going to be their primary pursuit, since the moathouse takes a back burner to saving the world. After they defeat Imix et al. I will throw them into an adventure where they have to somehow destroy the obelisk. Dunno how yet, but as an artifact of extreme power its gonna take some kinda heavy quest. I might even try to work it into Monte's 15th level module, can't remember the name. This might even lead up to Epic stuff.
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