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Kylearanon
Here for a while
(1/21/03 12:53:36 am)
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hint players on pressing time ?
I was just wondering if any of you experienced the following thing, as well. My players a kind of extremely careful when it comes to being hurt or partially exhausted or out of spells. And while that is not such an uncommon thing, it seems to slow them extremly down. They just left the moathouse to recover in Hommlet right after they found the hole in area 32 and now made a plan to explore it the very next day. Only that the next day will be like 80-85 hours after their first arrival at the moathouse. So everything will be sealed by then.
And while I am not having a hard time letting them miss that experience I got that feeling like they are progressing very slow a will keep doing so. They wonīt even see the wagon arrive or depart at/from the moathouse.
So how often do your groups rest and restock and stuff? And more important, how do you hint them on pressing time ... or donīt you ?
Any suggestions ? Or should I just leave them to their own pace ?
Thanks !
Kyle
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Siobharek 
Still here? Wow.
(1/21/03 2:38:07 am)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
I would leave clues that something was there, picked something up and moved out on wagon. Also, the moathouse cultists have moved out, so the miller and his wife's bodies will be found - maybe giving the PCs the idea that the couple might have been saved. But all in all, I would definitely have the cultists get out of Dodge.
It has been pointed out before, but if the moathouse cultists manage to leave, obelisk, items, and all, the best direction for the adventure to take is to have the PCs catch up with the wagon. Maybe they've been deputized by Elmo, or maybe their natural curiosity have gotten the better of them.
If they don't take that route, the best alternative is having the PCs meet the cleric in the Old Temple random encounters who has a map with Hommlet, Rastor, and the CRM on her.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Trithereon
Here to stay
(1/21/03 5:46:52 am)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
Siobharek makes some great suggestions. The first part of the adventure does have that one time line with the wagon but missing it does not mean the end of the game.
I have always felt that Karlun is a great missed opportunity plot hook. Y'dey or Yether will want to find out who killed their town miller. If you wanted it to, A speak with dead cast on Karlun's corpse could give enough cryptic hints to motivate your PCs to scour the Moathouse for more clues or even point them at Rastor.
Quote:
So how often do your groups rest and restock and stuff? And more important, how do you hint them on pressing time ... or donīt you ?
During the first two chapters (Hommlet and Nulb), I suggest to let your player move at what ever pace they wish. Once they start to assault the CRM the pace should pick up. The first time they leave the CRM to restock (in Verbobonc) and an area they cleared gets restocked by the doomdreamers then they'll get the idea to make their supply runs shorter.
Finally, once the Champion of Elemental Evil has been found then it may be time to leave hints that the cults plans are close to completion: captured cultists rant about the Champion and that a "day of reckoning" is at hand, the doomdreamers lay waste to Rastor because its supplies are no longer needed (especially if Rastor is used as a staging area for assaults on the CRM by the PCs), or have normal flames start to act erratically or take on a violet hue.
Basically, just slowly rev-up the adventure. The more levels they advance the more desperate the situation should become as they learn more about the plans of the doomdreamers and those said plans come closer to completion.
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shidara
Here for a while
(1/21/03 9:20:36 am)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
IMC, I used the Stalago, Varachan, and Dreams s as "reminders" that there is a limited amount of time available.
The first few times they saw the Stalagos, it was calm and placid, as the book describes. However, when they found the "water bridge" area, the stalagos had begun to roil slightly, with waves moving across its surface. Additionally, a slight purplish tinge was detected.
The next time they see it, it will be worse, with dark shapes seen moving about under the water, and a definite purple tint to the rolling waves.
Additionally, Varachan left a note for the party last time they left the area. His note was urgent in tone, but did not specify a deadline. This, combined with the active Stalagos, helped immensely.
Finally, I also had the entire town of rastor suffering from strange, darkness-themed dreams. eventually, the party will get word that Verbobonc has been plagued by these as well.
The hard part has been balancing my desire to DIScourage long trips to verbobonc while still allowing them to take off time to scribe spells, etc.
P.S.: Thanks to whomever it was who had the idea for having the Stalagos alive with menace - it really worked well to drive the point howm that Tharizdun is loosening his bonds.
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Kelashein
Here for a while
(1/21/03 7:40:39 pm)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
You guys rock. Those were some great suggestions.
If they've found the hole in 32 & possess the means to reopen it you shouldn't have a problem with them not getting to the "bottom" of the moathouse.
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Kylearanon
Here for a while
(1/22/03 12:54:41 am)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
I agree with Kelashein ... you guy are definitely a hoard of wisdom and information.
So I will leave them on their own for now. They already got some hints on the temple and even on Rastor and the mines (they took out Geynor Ton and found the journal and artifacts and so on), only that they seem to be fixating on the four-sided statue now.
Oh, and my players definitely donīt possess the means of re-opening the sealed hole. They donīt even have a straight wizard anymore (player had to retire).
Do you people think they can make it without a wizard ?
The party now consists of:
Andakor, Human, clr3/mnk1
Mallek, Dwarv, clr4
Pevishan, Cansin, Rog3/Sor1
Ragnar, Human, Bar2/Fgt2
They were definitely able to make their stand up until now. All the more when fighting undead. But they are definitely missing firepower (even if Ragnar cuts down monsters almost as fast as they appear ... if he isnīt paralyzed, that is  ) . Geynor Ton and Ysslansh, together with the ghast, nearly wiped them out. Anybody else has a group like that ?
By the way, I thought Iīve seen a rule that allows clerics to use their turning ability cooperative. But I canīt find it anymore. Does anyone know where to look?
And is it possible for an evil cleric to use 'command undead' on a creature that has just been turned by a good cleric ?
And last, I started a thread in the rules-board asking if a character hit by "Command: Die" can be awoken by kicking him but didnīt get a decent answer. So can he ?
Cheers (and hereīs to the hivemind )
Kyle
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Siobharek
Still here? Wow.
(1/22/03 2:19:33 am)
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
2 clerics can turn with one taking the Aid Another action to give the other a +2 on his Turning Check.
If you give the sorcerer a wand of flaming sphere (later on: wand of fireballs), your party will be slightly augmented in the butt-kicking Dept. But previous instances of wizard-less parties seem to have show that multiple weak opponents become more of a challenge because they can't be erased with area-affecting spells. If you have access to Defenders of the Faith, knife and sword spray (2nd & 3rd lvl?) will go a long way.
"Command: Die" causes the subject to feign death. I suppose a kick would wake him, but that would deprive 2 characters of their actions, wouldn't it?
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
 Infiniti2000
Here to stay
(1/22/03 6:49:00 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: hint players on pressing time ?
With Pevishan, they might be okay if he stocks up on items like Siobharek suggested. Btw, any relation to the mod?
"And is it possible for an evil cleric to use 'command undead' on a creature that has just been turned by a good cleric ?"
The best thing for an evil cleric to do is actually bolster the undead prior to battle, if given time. They can keep trying, too, in order to get the highest benefit. But, if the undead are turned, the evil cleric can command them again. This prompts a lot of cool combat scenarios where the evil cleric and good cleric are fighting over control of the undead while the mooks and rest of the party fight.
"And last, I started a thread in the rules-board asking if a character hit by "Command: Die" can be awoken by kicking him but didnīt get a decent answer. So can he ?"
He's feigning death, not asleep. Even if asleep, he would continue to follow the command to the best of his ability, even feigning sleeping, which is what I use since I don't believe it's possible to fall asleep within 6 seconds. Think of it like this:
Evil Cleric: "Sleep!"
Bob: "Zzzzzzz"
Fred: *kicking Bob* "Wake up, Bob!"
Bob: "Hey, stop it! I'm trying to sleep here! Zzzzzz"
Just IMO.
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