Any advice to give?
So far I've converted Freedom to 3.5ed. Didn't change much, just translated npc's and monsters and skill checks and those kinds of things to be usable in 3.5. I'm working on Black Flames atm in preparation for a campaign I'm about to begin with some friends.
Heres the conversion I made for Phabum, the main NPC from the Black Flames adventure, hope its useful to you, let me know.
BLACK FLAMES
Phabum (3.5)
Male Human, Druid lv7
Chaotic Good
Str 14, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 16
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Grapple: +7
Ranged: +8
Steel Scimitar: +9 - Dmg: 1d6+2 - Critical: 18-20x2
AC: 15/ Touch: 15/ Flat Footed: 12
Saves: Fortitude: +7, Reflex: +5, Will: +9
HP: 63
Initiative: +3
Size: Medium
Reach: 5ft.
Speed: 30ft
Language: Common (S), Druidic (S/W)*; Aarakocra (S), Belgoi (S), Elven (S), Halfling (S), Thri Kreen (S)
Gear: Masterwork Steel Scimitar, Cloak of Protection +2
CR: 7
Skills: 80 pts.
Climb (2/4) +4, Concentration (9) +15, Craft, Handle Animal (5) +8, Heal (4) +8, Hide (6) +9, Jump (2/4) +4, Knowledge (Nature) (5) +8, Listen (4) +8, Move Silently (5) +8, Ride (2) +7, Spellcraft (7) +10, Speak Language (2/4), Sense Motive (3/6) +7, Spot (4) +8, Survival (7) +13/+15*, Swim (4) +2
*+15 = Knowledge Nature Synergy
Feats: 4
Weapon Focus: Scimitar, Track, Wastelander, Combat Casting
Abilities:
Animal Companion, Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride, Trackless Step, Nature’s speech, Wild Shape (3/day)
Druid Spell:
Lv0 – 6; Create Water, Defiler Scent, Detect Magic, Guidance, Light, Purify Food&Drink
Lv1 - 4+1*; Cure Light Wounds, Entangle, Detect Undead, Plant Renewal, Produce Flame*
Lv2 - 3+1*; Clear Water, Hold Animal, Barkskin, Bull’s Stregth*
Lv3 - 2+1*; Searing Light, Plant Growth, Cure Moderate Wounds*
Lv4 - 1+1*, Elemental Strike, Dispel Magic*
* per Wisdom Bonus
The player are;
- an elf psionic/preserver/thief from Twilight Catcher clan
- a Gladiator mul from Urik
- a Thri-kreen water cleric
- a Dray Templar of Dregoth (hiding is identity with cloak and hood. )
Two week ago, the psionatrix field came into action when the PC were in Nibenay and in my game, Kornugard hide in the Dragon bowl instead (long story), so they went there to take advice from him (they know him since 3 year). I skept the part with the Black sand raider and went directly with the infiltration of Hamanu palace. Kornugard told them he heard about the Psionatrix when he was a young scholar in Hamanu psionic academy. I ran the Destiny palace as a huge dungeon with multiple room and lot of trap and patrolling obsidian golem. The PC were very scared of Hamanu, specially when they got busted. The communication between Hamanu and Kornugaard and the PC between was a great moment of role-playing. Its always a blast to scare the PC with a sorcerer king, specially when it's Hamanu in Man-Lion shape and is not in a good mood (cause of the psionatrix and PC disturbance in the palace). They took great care to not enrage the sorcerer king, and even the elf player, who useally play it scareless and tough, was very polite and diplomatic.
After that, they met the Urikite retaineer (NPC from Urik). Instead of doing the long travel to the village of Ket (instead of Bitter well, cause I skip also the part on Lake island) on kank riding, Hamanu gave them a very large flying carpet (that also serve as a spying device for the sorcerer king). During the travel (high in the sky) they had ample time to hargue with the Urikite, and they dont go very well each other, lot of verbal confrontation, nobody trust no one and they dont sleep during night of fear of being backstabed. Its always fun to force player to work along there long time vilain.
During there travel, they were attacked twice by Avergo, the psionic from the Order. One time, he ambushed them transforming a cloud in a giant form of his head and summoned 4 air elemental. The aerial battle following was epic. Two of the PC nearly died from falling and the NPC Tiaran (the lesser templar) died by falling during the battle.
I also tried to escape with the Urikite on the carpet, leaving the PC on footh near Ket, but that failed. Finally, the PC and the Urikites met Avergo in the Inn of Ket and they had a confrontation there.
Next game, I try to escape the Urikite on the carpet with the PC possesion. These will have to reach the Road of Fire using the Silt Skimmer of Trentbull, presently a slave in Ket, the Belamarash is hidden in the silt bassin. The travel to Dhuurgaz will be really deadly.
I still remember the player´s face when his bard character was spying on a meeting chamber where Hamanu´s generals and most trusted advisors were gathered. Someone tapped the PC on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. The bard shushed at the one disturbing him, telling with great calm that Hamanu had told him to supervise the discussions. The NPC replied "I don´t recall giving that order." The player and the character went silent, and the character slowly turned and gazed up at the Lion King himself.
Ah, the fond memories of Dragon´s Crown.
I still remember the player´s face when his bard character was spying on a meeting chamber where Hamanu´s generals and most trusted advisors were gathered. Someone tapped the PC on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. The bard shushed at the one disturbing him, telling with great calm that Hamanu had told him to supervise the discussions. The NPC replied "I don´t recall giving that order." The player and the character went silent, and the character slowly turned and gazed up at the Lion King himself.
:LOL: Oh god my side hurts...
Ah, the fond memories of Dragon´s Crown.
I still remember the player´s face when his bard character was spying on a meeting chamber where Hamanu´s generals and most trusted advisors were gathered. Someone tapped the PC on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. The bard shushed at the one disturbing him, telling with great calm that Hamanu had told him to supervise the discussions. The NPC replied "I don´t recall giving that order." The player and the character went silent, and the character slowly turned and gazed up at the Lion King himself.
Hahaha! That's just like Hamanu too, that PC was just lucky he wasn't in a foul mood hehe
The same bard carried the water hammer and was invisible in the end encounter with Pharistes. Imagine everyone´s faces around the table when he stated he was grabbing the Psionatrix and teleported to Nibenay to offer the Psioniatrix to the Shadow King. Never trust a bard. :P
Ah, the fond memories of Dragon´s Crown.
I still remember the player´s face when his bard character was spying on a meeting chamber where Hamanu´s generals and most trusted advisors were gathered. Someone tapped the PC on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. The bard shushed at the one disturbing him, telling with great calm that Hamanu had told him to supervise the discussions. The NPC replied "I don´t recall giving that order." The player and the character went silent, and the character slowly turned and gazed up at the Lion King himself.
I ran that scene a bit different, but with a very similar reaction from my players. The party of heroes were in the "spying room", watching the gathered Urikites, when suddenly a telekinetic force grabbed hold of them. They were pulled through the mirrored glass, with the glass sort of "bubbling" around them, and into the meeting chamber, at the feet of Hamanu. The looks on my players' faces were priceless, as their characters rose to stare into the face of the Lion King.
While the party were resting in the village of Ket, the Urikite escaped with the flying carpet, leaving the PC in Ket (they did not achieve stoling there possesion unfortunatly).
The PC had to find a way to travel on the silt sea and reach the road of fire. So I introduced Trentbull and his silt skimmer, the Bellamarash. I removed from my campaign the "father/son" part element of the silt skimmer captain. Instead, Trentbull and his three silt skimmer were hired by Avergo a couple of year ago when Avergo went to the road of fire to stole the Psionatrix in Akarakle for the Order. During the travel, they lost Pyrus and the Hesper. When Trentbull went back with the Bellamarash, he buried the siltskimmer near Ket, and it stayed hidden there for years. The PC had to find a way to get the Bellamarash out of the sand. The psionic PC managed to use his Megakinesis power ( even with the Psionatrix effect) and he extracted the silt skimmer from the sand ( ala Luke Skywalker and his X-wing in the mud).
The PC then begin there journey on the Silt sea. I made it very deadly. They had to advance very carefully, always cheking if they were still on the giants pathway of shallow silt. They had to pass trough a big bank of Floater, then, they were attacked by razorwing, survived trough a Sirroco (but almost lost there Siltskimmer in the storm) and finally were attacked by a Silt Drake. Two PC were almost killed during that battle. Then, a tribe of Aarakocra lead by a high level air cleric (aarakocra) stalked the PC for day and they finally succeeded to trade with the aarakocra. They are now in view of Dhuurgaz.
Next game, its giant time. I have nasty surprise for the PC on Dhuurgaaz. Beasthead giants, Silt horror, the Urikite and PC captured by the giants, Avergo trying to kill them and for dessert, a Fire drake!
The PC siltskimmer was attacked by a white horror and I almost made a Total party killing. The PC Dregoth templar almost got drowned, but saved himself using is wand of wonder, ( he rolled "Enlarge"), so he was able to have his head out of the silt. After making the silt horror flee by turning the silt around them in mud, they continued and arrived in sight of the island of Dhuurghaz.
I had giants on rocky crag hitting giant drum to alert the rest of the island. The drumming made the ground shake. The next day, the giant from clan Tor attacked the PC and captured them, destroying the silt skimmer in the process (and scavenging the part for themselve). At this point, I mixed the part on Dhuurghaz in the Dragon Crown book with the part on Lake Island. The PC found themselve trapped in a cavern with the captured Urikite. Both group were to be sacrified to the volcano god at sunset to appease the spirit of the land who the Giant wrongly think cause the Psionatrix field. Avergo paid them a visite to make sure they were captured. Then the PC templar wisely convinced the giant that the Urikite where spy with them, so the Urikite could not escape like in the scenario book. They had to ally with the PC to recover the flying carpet from the Clan Tor chief and they succesfully made it. The escaping from clan Tor closed the game. Since they failed to ally with the giant, I could'nt not run the part with the Fire drake and erdlu herd. Now they are flying east.
Next game, its Avegdaar island. I plan to have a Desert giant magma druide/cleric do a ritual to his volcano so it explode. If he succeed, it will make a permanent rift with the magma elemental plane and the ash resulting in the explosion will block the sun. Of course, the PC will have to stop him. Avergo will also try to kill them if they get ride of the mad shamane and continu toward Morghaz.
Anyone interested to hear the follow-up, or you just dont care?
Yes, I want to hear what happened. It is interesting to hear how you have changed some of the adventure as well as how your characters are able to get through it.
First, while they were flying on the flying carpet between Durghaaz and Avegdaar, they were attacked by two Athasian Roc (I use self-made random encounter table). I used this encounter to separe the PC from the Urikite. So the Roc dived on the carpet and grabbed the 4 PC in there talons and then, went to Avegdaar with the PC fighting in there claw. The PC templar almost got killed with only 12 hp left. The elf psionic, who was grabbed by the same Roc used his teleporting to get on top of the Roc and he rolled a critical hit on a Animal handling skill. So he tamed his roc, attached a rope on the head, he had a new mount. The PC templar used Animal friendly spell to make sure the Roc dont eat him.
Meanwhile, the other Roc with the mul and the thri-kreen was going to his nest, on the ridge of the West volcano (see map) were 4 young hatcling roc were waiting to eat the PC. I had fun and nasty time having two half-giant sized chiken pull from two side the poor PC mule. But the elf riding his new mount grabbed both PC from the nest and they flyed away. They landed on the second mountain and made there camp there for the night. The Roc was hungry, so the PC had to give him meat (wich they lacked). The party went in the savanna below to hunt erdlu ( they didnt know they were not savage erdlu :D ). They bringed back three erdlu for them and the roc and they spent the night on the top of that mountain. Avergo attacked during the night, using his psionic, but the PC defeated him in a mental battle he then retreated. Later that night, he came back "mental style" by sneaking into the dream of every PC (except the Thri-kreen who dont sleep but guard) and appeared in there dream as Kornugard (
). The PC believed it and so they talked with there long time ally (Kornugard) with no knowledge it was in fact Avergo, foolling them. So, "Kornugard" told them they were in great danger because the hermit (druid) of that island was trying to blow up is "volcano-god" in a ritual. The PC then awoke, and made a plan to find and stop that druid. (my plan with Avergo was to lure the PC in the volcano north to kill them with a tamed Fire drake there. ) At this point, I wanted to use the Dhuurghaz part from Dragon Crown book on the island of Avegdaar (since they skipped it on the last island). The only slight difference was that the PC were now also erdlu thief, and they were trying to kill the druid of that island (who is also a giant). Unfortunatly, they managed to have all the giants hostile with them, so I could not play the part from the book.
The next day, they climbed down the mountain to the first cavern(see map) . They met there a clan of desert giant. The PC templar, using his compregend language, tried diplomacy on the giant, but he failed bad when he told them he was friend with the giant from Dhuurghaz
. The Giants nearly attacked the PC, but they retreated using psionic and magic. They needed a plan B. They went to the mountain that have big water flowing out of it (see map) and there, they found were the druid was living, but he was not there (Avergo got ride of him the day before). The water cleric used her power to talk with water and asked the river were was the druid? 
The water responded the druid had left two day before. So the PC went to the second cavern (see map) and tryed there chance at another clan of desert giant. They failed again to have the giants friendly to them, when the PC templar (of Dregoth) pulled out his holy symbol in front of the giant (they saw it) to cast Comprehend language. The giants got mad at them and a big fight ensued, the PC had too flee. But they managed to learn the druid went to the north two day ago.
So the PC went to travel on the Smoking land on foot (the Roc was too scared to fly over there). I made a random encounter table with lava geyser and toxic gaz etc that worked pretty well. They had to fight magma elemental beast and lot of other nasty thing. I managed to scare them pretty much. The game ended while they were halfway to the volcano in the Smoking land. The next game of Dragon Crown is in two week. We play Freedom next week.
P.S: anyone have good suggestion of volcano encounter?
The End.
How dare you making a Demolition man joke in my thread ;)
I didn't need some sort of world shaking event, like finding out Rajaat was Rikus' father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate, to make my games fun.
Oh, if any of your players are already familiar with Dragon Crown adventure, then throw in a few things unexpected just keep them on their toes.
I think it will be these PC captured by Drajian or Nibenese retaineer (like the Urikite one) that need slave for there silt skimmer on way to the road of fire to stop the psionatrix.
Order members in 3.5 are surely waaay tougher to beat than in 2ed.
Totally. I have plans to run Dragon's Crown under 3.5 sometime in the future, and this idea keeps worrying me. Epic level psions will wipe the floor with any non-epic PCs that dare tangle with them. However, I don't much fancy using the adventure as an epic-level arc (that mighth work, but I'm not sure I could get my players to buy into 3.5 epic-level play, which can be a bit screwy.)
I guess the Order could be downgraded to the low-20s in levels, but that robs them of some of the specialness. Hmmm. Oh well. At least it won't be a problem anytime soon :D...
I guess the Order could be downgraded to the low-20s in levels, but that robs them of some of the specialness. Hmmm. Oh well. At least it won't be a problem anytime soon :D...
Well, I'll try figuring this out for next month.
For instance, they could find a poison recipe (like cerebral parasite enzyme) in Haakar's fortress that would affect psions (exclusively?); either PP wise or major Intelligence damage with a high DC. It would be extremely difficult to make, time consuming and expensive.
Making the crystal shards more visible could help but at that level, the psions could still wipe the PCs out.
I'll take any ideas you may throw at me...
I thought about it and found it could be cool to let the players find ways to bypass the high level psions of the order in "King Questish" ways ("throw water at dragon" becomes "throw mindflayer at psion":P).
For instance, they could find a poison recipe (like cerebral parasite enzyme) in Haakar's fortress that would affect psions (exclusively?); either PP wise or major Intelligence damage with a high DC. It would be extremely difficult to make, time consuming and expensive.
Making the crystal shards more visible could help but at that level, the psions could still wipe the PCs out.
I'll take any ideas you may throw at me...
What about the beetles in Merchant House of Amketch? Or null psionics field amulets?
What about the beetles in Merchant House of Amketch? Or null psionics field amulets?
Well, I'm trying to stick to the timeline so I probably won't use the beetles. But for the amulets, I guess the way to go is to make one or two PCs immune to psionic effects (probably with side quests) and give them powerful one-time weapons (arrow of Order member slaying :D ).
Well, I'm trying to stick to the timeline so I probably won't use the beetles. But for the amulets, I guess the way to go is to make one or two PCs immune to psionic effects (probably with side quests) and give them powerful one-time weapons (arrow of Order member slaying :D ).
The beetles are actually an interesting solution for my game (if it ever gets around to Dragon's Crown.) The last DS we played was Merchant House of Amketch, and the beetles were portrayed as a plot set in motion by a rogue member of the Order. So it would be interesting from a dramatic perspective to see their own wayward creations come back and bite them in their asses, so to speak ;)