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Killiak 
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(3/27/03 2:27 am)
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Lareth and the PC's
Ok, so the PC's went to Nulb at lvl 5!!! They got lucky and made it through in one piece and they also talked to Lareth (Hteral in my campaign  ). Now remember, this all happened in the morning and I had Lareth get ready for bed at this time (evil clerics pray at night and such), so nu full plate to be seen.
In the battle with the wraiths, the barbarian got seriously drained, so he ran away and was approached by Lareth, whom had been watching. He restored the barbarian to full con again, but leaving a huge scar, purple hued, across his chest. Kinda cool huh?
Ok, so they start to pester Lareth again, asking questions he is unwilling to answer, so in the end he just casts a Confusion on them and they wander of eventually 
Here is the problem; now they want to go back AT NIGHT, say a few hours past midnight. Lareth will be in his plate and has his spells. Question us; should I do this and lay the smackdown on them for trying to assasinate a person they don't even know or just hand it to them and lay the pain on them later?
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Siobharek 
Still here? Wow.
(3/27/03 2:48 am)
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Re: Lareth and the PC's
You might have him reason with the PCs. "What? WHAT!? I thought you'd be gone by now. Sure, I baffled you, but I let you go, didn't I? It's not like I fed you to the wraiths. And you, I restored you, for cryin' out loud! Now bugger off, you don't know who you're dealing with, and I'm in no mood to tell you."
And if they still pester him, or even lay an ambush, then have him go down fighting - maybe he'll jump on the boat to attract the slime and the wraiths.
And have him be very, very upset with the PCs once he returns. Heh, maybe their act is what makes him violently evil again.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Killiak
Here to stay
(3/27/03 3:27 am)
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well
The slime and wraith are already gone. They got extremely lucky in Nulb.
But that's a good idea right there on having him be indignified.
Any other suggestions pplz?
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Grumgarr
Here for a while
(3/27/03 3:58 am)
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why do they want to kill him?
Killiak,
Your group hasn't actually fought with Lareth yet, right?
He cast Confusion to make them leave him alone - not in the midst of melee with the PCs?
Why do they want to return at night then?
Do they just want to smack Hteral around because PCs hate to not 'win' an encounter and they're bearing a grudge for the Confusion?
Or are they planning on a spying mission?
Maybe they just want to find out about him rather than attack him? (Could be a cool opportunity to add some depth and flavour to the man.)
Regardless, I'd have him pray (and pray for spells that he might need to defend himself from nosy adventurer types) and be ready for trouble at night (in general, given where he lives).
Regardless of the PCs' motivations or indeed whether they visit Lareth, they are due some danger if they're in Nulb after dark.
If they just want to kick his ass for payback, I'd look closely at their alignments - otherwise I'd say he's fair game, he's certainly a suspicious character, living alone in a godforsaken place like Nulb.
Of course, he's no pushover for 5th level characters who might well expect to surprise him in his bed.
Perhaps there's a certain undead creature (an ex-pirate wight?) that's fascinated by Lareth and lurks near his hovel at night? Maybe he talks to it sometimes even though he despises it, and it is fearful of him (he's rebuked it in the past).
Regardless, if they fight Lareth, don't pull any punches - if he kills PCs now they'll be all the more gung-ho when they learn he's the champion.
I favour the 4th level Defenders of the Faith spell Castigate - Verbal only (great for when you're tied up and being interrogated) d4 damage per level in 20'(?) radius (less if you're close to his alignment).
Grumgarr
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Killiak
Here to stay
(3/27/03 4:39 am)
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hmm indeed
Yeah, he didn't do it in melee, he just wanted them to him the friggin' hell alone in his suffering
They are just plain pissed off at the Confusion and they did detect him as evil. They suspect him to be a necromancer, because of all the returning undead.
They do intent to spy first and then go in at a later time, but ofourse; that means a few PC's will be on their own 
I had Y'dey tell the PC's that they had once cleared out Nulb, but the undead returned. Lareth wasn't found then, DUH!, but now they think he is the cause. Quite fun really, but you are right. I will have a wight or such talk to him, trying to persuade Lareth into becoming the undeads master. No dice ofcourse.
edit; I have 4 PC's who are good; LG, NG, CG, CG and 3 who are neutral. This action of theirs kind of surprised me.
Edited by: Killiak at: 3/27/03 4:42:03 am
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Kylearanon
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(3/27/03 5:16 am)
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Re: hmm indeed
FOUR GOOD characters ? With one of them even being lawful ?
IMO at least for the LG character I would consider an alignment change after the deed ... if not for all the good characters.
They weren´t attacked, on the contrary ... one of them got healed. 
Now tell me that the LG char is a paladin and I really start to wonder  .
Apart from that I would play Lareth as indifferent as possible, not caring for anything. Maybe he just healed the barbarian for a change. Just piercing the usual boredom. My Lareth is constantly fighting with his past and presence and looking for the place where he actually belongs. But if he get´s attacked
he will retaliate with all his power. And he is far from dumb, so I would definitely let him be prepared now that he knows that adventurers are poking about his home.
Divine Storm is also a quite nice spell. 1d6 + 14 damage in 40ft radius for Lareth. Okay, Reflex negates but a DC 20 isn´t that bad. But after all another confusion might do the trick as well .
Kyle
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Killiak
Here to stay
(3/27/03 6:08 am)
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Re: hmm indeed
The LG is a Ranger/Bard, but don't ask me why the player made this
He healed him allright, but he left a big, purple hued scar behind after the "Restoration". I consider this character "Tagged" and to be a prime target when they get to the CRM. Two characters have been tagged so far
My Lareth is the gloomy hermit who seeks peace of mind (like never gonna get it) and he finds some irony in the ghost town; a former shadow of its former self, like he is himself. He is gloomy and sarcastic about it at the same time; but my experienced playesr just thought of him as an information beacon and tried to drill him for it.
Anywayz; Divine Power and Rage should wake them up
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Cordo Crowfoot
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(3/27/03 6:32 am)
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Re: hmm indeed
I agree with Grumgarr as far as the undead. I'd be tempted to roll a couple of times on the wandering monster table just to walk across town.
In fact, if you want to discourage them (and test them), you could even have shadows or the like attack the group near Lareth's hovel. After Lareth buffs he could step out and rebuke the undead, commanding them to go away (or at least hold back until he sees what the group's intentions are, but that should again drive home that he isn't going to attack).
"They were immediately and absolutely recognizable as adventurers. They were hardy and dangerous, lawless, stripped of allegiance or morality, living off their wits, stealing and killing, hiring themselves out to whoever and whatever came... They were scum who died violent deaths, hanging on to a certain cachet among the impressionable through their undeniable bravery and their occasionally impressive exploits" China Mieville, Perdido Street Station |
could be any DM
Here for a while
(3/27/03 6:38 am)
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At night?
They want to go back to Nulb at night? Are their heads screwed on straight? After what they saw in the daylight they should be wondering what would be around at night.
Take a look at the random encounter table for that place at night. It's possible they won't even get to Lareth. Especially if Lareth doesn't sleep in one place and they have to look around for him.
My party decided to make camp just on the outskirts of the town. That didn't last long. A couple battles later they were headed for the hills, as the saying goes.
Have fun.
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 Infiniti2000
Still here? Wow.
(3/27/03 7:37 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: At night?
The party is doomed. Hopefully they will learn better by the time the get to the CRM and even more so by the time they reach the Outer Fane. One thing, I assume you gave Lareth full plate? He doesn't have it per the module, as it would affect his Dex. Anyway, +16/+11 to hit and 1d6+24 on damage with a critical on 19-20 is nasty. Have him cast confusion on the first round then just pound one PC into paste. If others stick around, move to the next, but only after the first is dead (i.e. not just negative, hit him once more after the PC drops, he is crazy after all).
Once you cast confusion the first time, I don't think Lareth will be expecting further parley with the party. I'd have him start buffing as soon as the PC's approach, maybe have a wight as lookout, then go out and kick ass. There's a time for discussion and there's a time for battle. This is the latter.
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Killiak
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(3/27/03 9:33 am)
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Re: At night?
As for what they saw during the day; they are experienced players and only stayed for like 3 hours. I only rolled for 2 shadows once.............. Scary; not
But where does he get that +24 then? Could you write out Lareth for me then?
Here is my Write up;
Lareth
Cleric 7, Speed 20 ft
Hp 60 (74 with endurance), Init +7
AC 22 (+1 dex, +9 Fullplate(+1), +2 Magic Vestment)
BaB +5
Str 22 due to Bull Str.
Attack; Quarterstaff +2 & +7 dmg. (Spikes) +14 1d6+18
The +18 = 1.5x6 = 9 +2 staff +7 spikes = 18
Now if he opens up all the stops with divine power, divine favor and rage;
+19/+14 for 1d6+21
Spells;
1st
Shield of Faith 2x
Divine Favor
Command
Cause Fear 2x
Protection from Good*
2nd
Bull Strenght (already on)
Endurance (already on)
Hold Person 2x
Cure Moderate Wounds
Tharizdun's Touch*
3rd
Spikes (already on)
Invis Purge.
Magic Vestment (already on)
Rage*
4th
Divine Power
Poison
Confusion*
I will have him open up with confusion and a few hold person if some still stand. A web from his cloak is an option. Then he powers up and lasy the smack down on them. Sound good? Ofcourse this only happens if they start a fight
Edited by: Killiak at: 3/27/03 10:08:44 am
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Infiniti2000
Still here? Wow.
(3/27/03 10:28 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: At night?
The Lareth I used is posted in the Splat Book Changes thread. Replace unfailing endurance with divine power (as I noted a few posts down) and you get the revised numbers, for like maybe 5 rounds or so. He also has 88 hit points. My calculations are included there. You can also see how I ran him.
I'd have him web up the shop as an escape route, the party will not be able to follow him. Of course, they can fireball the shop, but I made a shop with two side rooms and Lareth can go into one and have full cover from the main room.
In the end, don't worry about keeping him alive because having to kill him again at the end might be just as fun for the party as not having killed him the first time. Good luck.
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Killiak
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(3/27/03 10:46 am)
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Re: At night?
Hmm yes, it looks very nice. I will have him use Power attack as well, so that might go crazy on them
My version does a little more damage with a good AC to boot. I think I will keep him this way since he is a pure cleric and I dont really feel like putting MotW in there.
A web, a confusion, a few holds should deadlock the party and give them the smackdown of their *short* lives. It should be no problem for good ol' Lareth aka Hteral
And yes; I will be using that Mark of the Aposthrophy. It's nice
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could be any DM
Here for a while
(3/27/03 10:47 am)
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Re: At night?
2 Shadows can, and should, be somewhat scary at 5th level.
They can pass through solid objects at will, therefore should be able to start the battle close to the pcs. Probably even on their terms.
They have turn resistance, making it unlikely they will be outright destroyed. That means that even on a turn they're coming back later. And if you play shadows with some intelligence, you could have them all run away when some get turned. That way they are always coming at full strength. Hit and run tactics are great in Nulb.
They can only be hit by magic, and ignore most of that 50% of the time.
They only have to make touch attacks to hit. With two of them, that should be a likely 2d6 strength damage per turn. A couple turns later that average strength character is coming over to the dark side.
The above isn't a knock on your skills or knowledge of the monsters, just the rambling of a DM who likes to get the most from his creatures.
Anyway, there is plenty of fun to be had in Nulb. One word of warning, be careful of a TPK. That confusion spell, with Lareth's high DC, can do the job all by itself.
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Killiak
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(3/27/03 10:51 am)
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Re: At night?
I know, but I want to punish their impunity. They got warned by the first spell and now they want to go BACK! Their choice, so their problem
As for Nulb at night, U use the table in the book right? 01-60 gives no encounter, so what gives?
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could be any DM
Here for a while
(3/27/03 10:55 am)
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Re: At night?
I don't have my books with me, but if I remember correctly it wasn't the % chance that was scary it was the frequency it called for. I may be remembering wrong, I haven't looked at Nulb in a long time. There was also a different table for night versus day.
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Killiak
Here to stay
(3/27/03 11:15 am)
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Re: At night?
Well, I only have 1 table and the book says nothing about night vs day. Damn odd, also it is only once per hour
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could be any DM
Here for a while
(3/27/03 11:22 am)
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Re: At night?
Okay there may be only one table, going off memory here.
The once per hour is the important thing though, as normally you are looking at once every four hours or longer. Once per hour is pretty serious. Now, on a hit and run raid it might not have much of an effect. But if they have to look around a bit you can drain their resources some.
Let us know how it goes.
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Killiak
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(3/27/03 4:24 pm)
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Re: At night?
Well, it went quite well for the party. Only 2 people out of 6 missed their confusion save and Lareth didnt get the time to throw in the hold persons. I had Lareth move into a building for cover, but an Invisible rogue/wizard and a cleric moved up and readied attacks on the moment of spell casting.
Damn. I did kill the cleric though.
After that they rested a few hours away from Nulb (random encounters; 3) and then went to Wat's tavern. Another PC dead there due to throwing a natural 1 on his Fort save (no fumble, but not enough for DC 12), but they did torch the place down. My players were not amused to say the least, since the death toll has been reasonably high. I had 7 sessions and 7 kills so far. I do have seven players, but for the bigger encounters I am not pulling punches. It is a problem though, cause they tell me that such a thing is the DM's responsibility. *sigh*
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Infiniti2000
Still here? Wow.
(3/27/03 7:12 pm)
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ezSupporter
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Re: At night?
Two deaths in one night is kind of rough, but they should have expected trouble in a town like Nulb. You did say they were experienced, right?
"It is a problem though, cause they tell me that such a thing is the DM's responsibility. *sigh*'
That's ridiculous. A DM has the right, but certainly not the responsibility to fudge if it's in the interest of the game. In these two combats, I would have done as you did.
A. Wat. He makes a death attack, fort save or die. What is there to fudge? Any other choice would be playing him poorly and cheating your players of their victory.
B. Lareth ran for cover. Only two of the party chased after him. Both should have been killed! Where was their experience? Here's a guy walking around Nulb, by himself, at night, taking on the whole party and nearly winning, and only the rogue and cleric go after him? The players have no right to whine and complain about this.
I hope this makes you feel better because it seems like you have nothing to feel guilty or bad about. Your group is a world of hurt when they reach the main gate. Nevermind the Outer Fane.
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Siobharek
Still here? Wow.
(3/28/03 12:20 am)
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Re: At night?
I'm with Inf2K here. You did nothing wrong. Your players - experienced though they may be - sound like they don't quite know what they're in for. Youi might want to tell them OOG.
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
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