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Worldwalking Adventure

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
May 27, 2006 9:40:09 I am having my characters do a worldwalking adventure to recover the Rod of Seven Parts. They will be traveling to Athas to recover a piece and I think I will use the module Black Spine and simply add the Rod as part of the adventure.

My question is where in Athas should I have them start?

Thanks for the help.
#2
terminus_vortexa
May 27, 2006 13:41:30 Tyr is an ideal (and admittedly somewhat played out) place to start. You have a free city, no irritating slavers, and wide access to trade goods.(because of the commerce brought by the iron mines)
#3
balican_gigolo
May 28, 2006 3:11:02 If you've got the ivory triangle accessory, you could have them appear there. Maybe set them in salt view, and then you've got two cities to introduce...
#4
korvar
May 28, 2006 5:59:06 Have 'em crash-land on Athas (in other words, have whatever mechanism they are using to get to Athas go A Bit Wrong), steal their gear, and have them picked up by a slaver caravan. Possibly put them through A Little Knowledge. At the very least they need no less than one (1) trek through the desert with nothing but their clothes.

By the end of it, they should be garbed head to foot in chitin, wielding Psionically empowered obsidian weapons, and be prepared to eat their own grandmothers before going back to that scary, scary place.

:D
#5
bill_lumberg
May 28, 2006 11:03:28 I agree with Korvar. Keep them out of civilized areas at first. And avoid encounters with intelligent monsters right away. This keep them from learning about Athas from informed sources.

I would suggest having them come to Athas at night during a sandstorm that drives them into a nearby cave for shelter. Inside the cave should be something friendly, like a gaj. Keep the vegetation in the cave to a minimum so they will not see the effects of defiling.

In the morning they can discover the pleasant climate and decide to ditch their armor.

Now, if they could just find something to drink...
#6
zombiegleemax
May 30, 2006 12:51:08 I think I will be putting them in an area where there is little contact with civilization. I was going to warn them about armor but I like the idea about keeping them in the dark....

Anyway 2 more questions.

1) The arcane spellcasters either need to be preservers of defliers correct? Did the Dragon magazines updating Dark Sun do a good job with these rules or are there some boards systems that are better to deal with this issue?

2) Does the Sandstorm book deal well enough with desert climates to be useful when running Athas?

Thanks for the help guys. I appreciate it.
#7
terminus_vortexa
May 30, 2006 18:05:06 I'd go with the Dragon Magazine defiling rules, but in my game if you come from another world, you can't cast spells until someone shows you how to preserve or defile. As far as sandstorm goes, it suffices, but isn't ideal.
#8
xlorepdarkhelm_dup
May 30, 2006 18:19:26
I'd go with the Dragon Magazine defiling rules, but in my game if you come from another world, you can't cast spells until someone shows you how to preserve or defile. As far as sandstorm goes, it suffices, but isn't ideal.

Yea, I'm kinda hard like that too. Spellcasters would find life.... very difficult. Arcane spellcasters would find all of their magic doesn't work. They have to be taught how to use Arcane magic on Athas, and I *might* let them be able to use their existing spells then. Divine have it equally as difficult, because without gods, they'd be pretty screwed. They would have to go through the fun process of getting an elemental patron, get in good with a Spirit of the Land, or be signing up to be a Sorcerer-King's flunky to maybe be able to taste a little of that Divine power they once wielded. Melee characters would also find life pretty harsh, I'd have metal items dissolve/break down shortly after arrival (like there is something in the Athasian atmosphere that rapidly corrodes non-native metal), leaving most of them without weapons, and several without armor. The only characters that would be able to weather the transition to Athas the best, would be the psionic characters, who find their power is really uninhibited by Athas.

Basically, the arrival to Athas should radically change the group dynamic, and then the environemnt, flora, and fauna should significantly weed out a pretty large section of the newcomer party. What is left is those who have survived, even barely. Then after the trials out in the wild, eventually I would draw them into a more civilized area (of course, Athasian versions of "civilization" would be more like barbarism to many outsiders). The optimal situation would be to keep the characters on their toes so much, that they don't have the time to realize they have no way to escape.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax May 27, 2006 9:40:09	I am having my characters do a worldwalking adventure to recover the Rod of Seven Parts. They will be traveling to Athas to recover a piece and I think I will use the module Black Spine and simply add the Rod as part of the adventure. My question is where in Athas should I have them start? Thanks for the help.
#2 terminus_vortexa May 27, 2006 13:41:30	Tyr is an ideal (and admittedly somewhat played out) place to start. You have a free city, no irritating slavers, and wide access to trade goods.(because of the commerce brought by the iron mines)
#3 balican_gigolo May 28, 2006 3:11:02	If you've got the ivory triangle accessory, you could have them appear there. Maybe set them in salt view, and then you've got two cities to introduce...
#4 korvar May 28, 2006 5:59:06	Have 'em crash-land on Athas (in other words, have whatever mechanism they are using to get to Athas go A Bit Wrong), steal their gear, and have them picked up by a slaver caravan. Possibly put them through A Little Knowledge. At the very least they need no less than one (1) trek through the desert with nothing but their clothes. By the end of it, they should be garbed head to foot in chitin, wielding Psionically empowered obsidian weapons, and be prepared to eat their own grandmothers before going back to that scary, scary place. :D
#5 bill_lumberg May 28, 2006 11:03:28	I agree with Korvar. Keep them out of civilized areas at first. And avoid encounters with intelligent monsters right away. This keep them from learning about Athas from informed sources. I would suggest having them come to Athas at night during a sandstorm that drives them into a nearby cave for shelter. Inside the cave should be something friendly, like a gaj. Keep the vegetation in the cave to a minimum so they will not see the effects of defiling. In the morning they can discover the pleasant climate and decide to ditch their armor. Now, if they could just find something to drink...
#6 zombiegleemax May 30, 2006 12:51:08	I think I will be putting them in an area where there is little contact with civilization. I was going to warn them about armor but I like the idea about keeping them in the dark.... Anyway 2 more questions. 1) The arcane spellcasters either need to be preservers of defliers correct? Did the Dragon magazines updating Dark Sun do a good job with these rules or are there some boards systems that are better to deal with this issue? 2) Does the Sandstorm book deal well enough with desert climates to be useful when running Athas? Thanks for the help guys. I appreciate it.
#7 terminus_vortexa May 30, 2006 18:05:06	I'd go with the Dragon Magazine defiling rules, but in my game if you come from another world, you can't cast spells until someone shows you how to preserve or defile. As far as sandstorm goes, it suffices, but isn't ideal.
#8 xlorepdarkhelm_dup May 30, 2006 18:19:26	I'd go with the Dragon Magazine defiling rules, but in my game if you come from another world, you can't cast spells until someone shows you how to preserve or defile. As far as sandstorm goes, it suffices, but isn't ideal. Yea, I'm kinda hard like that too. Spellcasters would find life.... very difficult. Arcane spellcasters would find all of their magic doesn't work. They have to be taught how to use Arcane magic on Athas, and I might let them be able to use their existing spells then. Divine have it equally as difficult, because without gods, they'd be pretty screwed. They would have to go through the fun process of getting an elemental patron, get in good with a Spirit of the Land, or be signing up to be a Sorcerer-King's flunky to maybe be able to taste a little of that Divine power they once wielded. Melee characters would also find life pretty harsh, I'd have metal items dissolve/break down shortly after arrival (like there is something in the Athasian atmosphere that rapidly corrodes non-native metal), leaving most of them without weapons, and several without armor. The only characters that would be able to weather the transition to Athas the best, would be the psionic characters, who find their power is really uninhibited by Athas. Basically, the arrival to Athas should radically change the group dynamic, and then the environemnt, flora, and fauna should significantly weed out a pretty large section of the newcomer party. What is left is those who have survived, even barely. Then after the trials out in the wild, eventually I would draw them into a more civilized area (of course, Athasian versions of "civilization" would be more like barbarism to many outsiders). The optimal situation would be to keep the characters on their toes so much, that they don't have the time to realize they have no way to escape.