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Necron
Ebon Hand Cultist
(1/13/04 11:51 pm)
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Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
Herb, Poschi, Marco & Christian:
LEAVE!!!!!!!
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Hi everyone,
for English not being my first language (I live in Austria), i hope you excuse mistakes...
We'll start a campaign with DnD3.5 on the 23rd of January with 1st level-chars, so there is some time left, 'til my players come to RttToEE (I plan to wait until they are charlevel 5). The whole group is new to DnD3 (we played 2nd). Before running RttToEE i'd like to discuss some things with you here ...
The Charakters will be:
human male cleric (helm)
halfling female monk
dwarfen male samurai (CompleteWarrior)
elven male wizard
1.) The cleric will be a Charakter, who once was played in 2nd. This was the first charakter of this player. It was ... hm ... some sort of lame (he often dropped a brick) ;-) He not even got enough XP for level2 :-) The char didn't die ... the campaign stopped ... The Player would like to play this charakter again. He will create it with 3.5 rules, but will take the story as it was.
There the trouble starts ... (i have to get the background into RttToEE):
This charakter was tricked by a bhaal-cleric (bhaal was already dead at this time). This cleric managed to let Talon (helm-cleric) get him a part of a very powerful magical artifact (the complete artifact would be part of a ritual to bring bhaal back). Talon was nicely rewarded (gold) and the cleric left. That night Talon had an awesome dream. In his dream, wearing a robe of Bhaal, he sacrificed a baby on a black altar with bhaals symbol on it - no details necessary for now ;-) From the next day on, he was after this guy, willing to get this item back. He doesn't know what this artifact can do.
My first idea how to get into RttToEE with that:
Bhaal could be a "part" of big T (i don't want to change big T into Bhaal). The Bhaal-cleric didn't know that. This Bhaal-cleric could have come to the Temple of Elemental Evil and may have got the "doomdream", becoming a doomdreamer. He (and the others) would still have use for the artifact (because if they bring Bhaal back, they'll return big T. some of his powers). I would like to have Talon meet the Bhaal-cleric in the Temple, because i know, that his player will go frenzy, when he suddenly is confronted with that guy again :-)
I didn't have the time to read into RttToEE (only read Hommlet and the Moathouse until now). Thats why I doesn't know, if its possible to get this Bhaal-cleric into it that way. Additionally I dislike something with that idea, but I don't know what for now :-)
I hope someone can help me with that ... any idea is very welcome!!!
2.) How does big T. grant spells to his clerics? He has no power right now!
Thank you for your help!
Necron
Edited by: Necron at: 1/14/04 12:13 am
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msherman
Crimson Coil Cultist
(1/14/04 1:56 am)
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
Welcome, and good luck!
Firstly, you don't have to bother with spoiler space in this board, if your post only has spoilers for RTTTOEE (or your own private campaign). This entire board is full of spoilers, so you should just tell your players not to read any of it.
The Bhaal story sounds interesting. It's a good tie-in with the module, which has the Cult of Tharizdun usurping the worship of many different gods; Bhaal could just be another of them. The cleric of Bhaal could easily fit into the CRM or the Outer Fane.
You should definitely read the entire module before starting play. It's a complicated story, and if you don't know it well before starting, it's easy to miss how some parts tie together.
As for question 2, IMC I handled it by deciding that the EEE is actually Tharizdun's own left eye, which he plucked out of his own head and threw down to the Elemental Planes as he was being imprisoned by the Army of the Gods. Since Tharizdun's imprisonment, the EEE has come to be worshipped as a god in it's own right, and Tharizdun maintains a loose connection with it, and is able to grant his own clerics spells through that connection. To mark this, all the doom dreamers in my game will be missing one eye; plucking out your own eye is part of the ritual required to gain the Doomdreamer PrC.
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 Siobharek 
Brother of Venom
(1/14/04 6:36 am)
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ezSupporter
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
As to Tharizdun's worshipers getting spells, I think it says in the Greyhawk Gazetteer that there are places sacred to Tharizdun where his priests can still get spells. So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Other than that, welcome! Read the FAQ, the BoB and the new 3.5 errata/conversion document and you're ready to go!
Siobharek
...it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. |
Necron
Ebon Hand Cultist
(1/16/04 7:52 am)
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
Hi, thanks for your replies!
This module is giant ... do I really have to read the _complete_ module, to get it working? I really find it interesting, but reading through all rooms etc. is really hard work, aside from having not _that_ much time. If you say _whole_ I fear you mean _whole_, so I assume, that you also have to read through the different rooms to see all connections. Right? It seems (as an inexpierienced "official-module-dm" - I mainly wrote my adventures by myself 'til now), that I am a little overstrained ... Wouldn't it be enough to read through the Chapter-Introductions and the NPC-parts? At the beginning of every chapter, there is a short description of it ...
I read through the FAQ today ... its really good work! The 3.5 conversion is just amazing! As I will run the module in FR, I thought about using gods as mentioned in the FAQ:
Pelor = Lathander
Ehlonna = Mielikki
St. Cuthbert = Helm (the Watchful, patron of the Riders)
The Elder Elemental God = Ghaunadaur
Zuggtmoy = Moander
Iuz = Bhaal before his death (thereby explaining all the assassins running amok in the ToEE)
I think it could fit well, having Bhaal beeing Iuz. As far as I now know, Hedrack is a servant of Iuz. So he could be the one who tricked my Helm-cleric? I think Hedrack wouldn't try to get Bhaal back. When Talon (helm cleric) meets Hedrack, he'll think, that Hedracks only goal is to get Bhaal back. But Hedrack meanwhile isn't interested in Bhaal anymore and it could be a hard for Talon to hear: "Bhaal? Pah, that 'god' isn't worth ... " But what could have happend to that artifact-part? any ideas?
Did anyone make a PC being the "ElementalPrince"? As I mentioned above, I am not yet in the story, and perhaps its a really silly idea  I just think it could be funny to trick the PCs. Finally they reach their goal, just to see, that they did what Doomdreamers liked them to ...
Once again, thanks for your help. Very interesting place here.
Edited by: Necron at: 1/16/04 7:53 am
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arcane12
Tolling Bell Cultist
(1/20/04 2:30 pm)
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
OK, the artifact part could have been the elemental binder for Imix (the elemental prince of fire) if you are using that suggestion from the BoB. Another good suggestion might be that is it a part of one of the artifact like items, like a missing piece of the Teleportation device in the inner fane.
If you want some nasty suprise, you could make one of the party members (like that cleric) the champion, and when he wrests his way into the fire node to stop the doomdreamers he could unwittingly free Imix!
Now you do not need to read the entire thing before running it (I know I sure didn't) and for the meantime just having read the intro and Homlett should be enough to get you started for the first session. When the party have given you an idea of where they plan on going (moathouse or temple) then brush up on that bit. I would suggest having read (or skimmed) a majority of the crater ridge mines (CRM) and the outer fane before the party knock on the main gates as it is possible your party could go anywhere (it is mostly a parties insistence on making in a dungeon crawl that makes it one - there is nothing stopping them talking etc. unless they have a paladinesque character in the group).
Basically until the group has tromped a reasonable way through the CRM they should only have a vague idea of what is going on, and not getting the full picture until about 10-11th level when they are in the outer fane, so your lack of knowledge of the names etc. of the big players is no big issue as most npc's will not know either.
Heddrack _was_ a cleric of Iuz, but is now a cleric of the big T, and can be seen as a big boss guy near the end. If you make him a major goal for one of the characters he might lose focus with the real goal (stop big T) when Heddrack is dead. How about making Master Thaque or Master Dunrat the guy who got the item off the PC, a good way to get the PC into Homlett, yet either dead, or easy/ellusive enough to not kill the plot to early. (Thaque dies by the dragons claw before the party turns up, and Dunrat has a reasonable chance for escape, or is a good low level guy to lead the PC's on to his _real_ master...
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Grumgarr
Crimson Coil Cultist
(1/23/04 3:19 am)
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
Hi  and welcome to the boards.
I think your ideas on the gods are good. Iuz=Bhaal is something I considered too (FR campaign) it's a good link up for you, given Bhaal's involvement with your PCs already.
Big T certainly can grant his priests power.
You might consider the idea that the other gods think of big T as a 'dead god' and that they have a kind of blind spot - they can't see what he's up to, or even that he's still active (actively trying to destroy reality, including all the gods!).
That's why the general belief among those who even know of him at all is that he can't grant spells, but it's mistaken. He's very real, his power is very real - it's just very well hidden. Divinations asking other gods about big T don't work properly...to find out about his cult and its goals you have to witness it first hand. This also explains why the epic characters of your game world don't come running and stop the cult. They just don't know the world's under threat.
I'll add a suggestion - the rod Talon gave to the priest of Bhaal (I think Master Dunrat is a perfect choice) - could be the Rod of Force (a holy item of the Champion of Elemental Evil), or some part required to complete or activate it. If you use Master Dunrat as the priest, the Rod needs to be long gone though (Dunrat's in Hommlet - the Rod doesn't come into play until at least the Outer Fane).
To get prepared, I'd read the FAQ thoroughly - there's a good synopsis of the entire plot there. Then read the chapter your group are approaching a couple of times - try to keep a little ahead of the PCs and you should be fine - the Crater Ridge Mines are huge, and you should read it all a couple of times as there are complex relationships and rivalries there that can really bring the game and the cult to life. And be sure you know the capabilities of the major NPCs in each chapter before your PCs meet them - most of the villain NPCs are mad but still clever and should be played to the best of their abilities to really challenge the good guys
Good luck! It's a long road but well worth it.
Grumgarr
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Cordo Crowfoot
Deathmantle Cultist
(1/23/04 3:24 am)
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Re: Preparative Questions for my RttToEE Campaign
The only thing I would add is that if you are into RP pick a voice mannerism and some characteristics for the main personalities... Elmo, Y'Dey at a minimum in Hommlet, and practice. Someone (Zans?) had a hilarious write up of a fight between those two. If I hadn't already gone past that point I would have certainly memorized that one and performed it for the players.
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scrawl
(2/12/04 9:37 pm)
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the conversation
Cordo, can you perhaps provide a link to the conversation you mentioned?
Thanks
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Taxman66
Crimson Coil Cultist
(2/13/04 8:17 am)
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Re: the conversation
Another possibility is the 'artifact' could have been a piece/part to Hed's Tentical rod. And if you use a BoB (or from somewhere else I'm not exactly sure) idea that some of the relics from the moathouse could be used to piece together another Tentical rod (hinted at via a letter by Nanquent). Your PC might recognizes the thing as being the same (or nearly so) to the one he got for Heddy.
Taxman
"It takes an uncommon mind to think of these things, Hobbes." - Calvin
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blakwind
Tolling Bell Cultist
(2/14/04 11:05 am)
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My advice: Read it all first
Others here may disagree, but I would recommend that you read the entire adventure through, at least twice, before starting. Compared to the hundreds of hours that you'll be gaming, reading the adventure doesn't take long at all.
IMHO, each section will proceed more smoothly if you understand what is going to happen in later sections -- not necessarily the details, but definitely "the big picture".
This is especially true if you will be altering the module, as I did in my own campaign.
Good luck, and welcome to the boards.
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