I will ask some questions that are quite unrelated to each other because i dont want to open many threads.
Im planning a long campaign using WotI and X4, X5 and X10 parallel. Has anyone exeriances whith that or has anyone adopted the X series for that time?
I want to lead them through Graakhalia instead of crossing the whole desert by foot. Any suggestions for that?
How do you think should X5 end if I really dont want them to be able to simple kill the master?
Do you think that it might be possible that Rheddarian could send them to Hule as his first assingment?
Which immortals do you think are beeing followed most in Darokin? And which Immortal would a Human Ranger from the Darokin Borderlands most likely follow? I found nothing in the Darokin Gazeteer about that.
On which side of the conflict would Odin stand? Im asking because one of the players is a Cleric of Odin.
One of the Players is interested in the Prc Telflammar Shadowlord from the fearun book Unapprochable East and asked me if its possible that he can become one in Mystara. I said that I must think about it. If yes where would such a guild be located and which immortal would they follow?
I will appreciate any help I can get since im not that experianced with DMing.
Im planning a long campaign using WotI and X4, X5 and X10 parallel. Has anyone exeriances whith that or has anyone adopted the X series for that time?
Not actual gameplay experience, though I've a number of thoughts about the matter. I've actually been toying with the idea of doing a sort of X1-13: The Tides of War mega-module, similar to the B1-9: In Search of Adventure mega-module. The X4/X5/X10 thing would definitely work into that. Unfortunately, some of the other modules (notably X6: Quagmire and X9: The Savage Coast) don't fit into the sequence all that well...
I want to lead them through Graakhalia instead of crossing the whole desert by foot. Any suggestions for that?
Interesting idea. Off the top of my head, you could introduce this in a number of locations- the endless pit in the Manscorpion tomb could lead into Graakhalia, or if you'd prefer, you could just have them enter into the depths of the earth sometime prior to the Black Mountains- possibly as a means to bypass the armies of Hule that are encamped in the desert.
There aren't any "underground" modules in the D&D series that you could run, but perhaps you could adapt a module from some other setting as "filler". Off the top of my head, maybe you could modify some of the Queen of the Demonweb pits series (never read them, so don't know how well they'd adapt).
Another thought that could work- in Champions of Mystara, it is noted that the armies of Hule invaded Graakhalia. Perhaps some refugees from there- Sheyallia elves or Grugraakh gnolls find the PCs and enlist their aid to help remove some forces of the Master in Graakhalia? In exchange, they will provide them with a guide to help lead them to the Black Mountains.
How do you think should X5 end if I really dont want them to be able to simple kill the master?
You could always have him escape, and disappear for a while. The assault on the Temple of Death and the disappearance of the Master should throw things into a bit of chaos for Hule, and lead them to recall their troops until X10 rolls around.
Alternatively, you might decide to not leave Hosadus' body lying around in the Temple where just anyone can get at it, and thus the party cannot dispose of his original body before facing him. Thus when his youthful form is defeated, he can return to his original body.
Something that I just thought of that might be an interesting idea- perhaps the "youthful" body that the Master is in possession of is the "rightful" ruler of Hule, and Hosadus (and his patron) were usurping it. There is a lot of back story unfleshed out about the suddenness of Hule wanting to attack the eastern nations, after all. Perhaps the reason behind their recent warlike insurgence is due to the Master's possession of the ruler of Hule. You could gradually hint at something like this as the PCs make their way through Hule, and thus during the final confrontation with the Master, their objective will be not to slay him, but to exorcise the possessing spirit of Hosadus. Thus freed, the former Master will return to his more peaceful ways and withdraw his troops, and Hosadus will have to find another way to get what he wants (probably by repossessing his old body and arranging for the death of the ruler of Hule, and usurping his position. Then he starts war again in X10.) This would also make the final confrontation that much more difficult for the PCs, as they need to capture/contain the Master, and not just kill him.
Do you think that it might be possible that Rheddarian could send them to Hule as his first assingment?
Sure. In WotI, it mentions that he is keeping an eye out for strange Immortals (like Kelter Zerben's patron Balthac). Bozdogan has always been a rather mysterious figure- though we (as DMs and Players) have been told that he is just another name for Loki, there is still some mystery about that, and about the way in which he runs his hagiarchy over there. Perhaps Bozdogan isn't Loki after all, or perhaps the PCs can find out definitively. Not only that, but with Hule's attacks on Darokin's western borders (in Sind), Rheddrian's mercantile interests might be affected.
Which immortals do you think are beeing followed most in Darokin? And which Immortal would a Human Ranger from the Darokin Borderlands most likely follow? I found nothing in the Darokin Gazeteer about that.
That's a hard one, and I'm not sure what to answer. Given Darokin's multi-ethnic makeup, you could probably find just about any Immortal with a following in the country. Personally, I tend to think that Thyatian Immortals would be the most prominent (with Asterius, patron of merchants, leading the pack), with Traladaran Immortals close behind. Depends on the region, though.
The Borderlands would probably have the most diverse followings. I envision them as having a lot of local patrons and such- "hearth gods" if you would. In Selenica, you would probably have a lot of Ylari immortals and Al-Kalim; in Tenobar or Athenos, the more rural inhabitants might follow some ancient Makai mystic ways and such.
On which side of the conflict would Odin stand? Im asking because one of the players is a Cleric of Odin.
Odin is the god of Wisdom, and so I imagine he'd be less inclined to jump right into war like Ixion and the rest. He'd probably be of a more neutral bent at first (like Korotiku and Ka), trying to get the rest of the Immortals to use reason rather than emotion. Ultimately, then, he'd probably end up on Rad's side.
One of the Players is interested in the Prc Telflammar Shadowlord from the fearun book Unapprochable East and asked me if its possible that he can become one in Mystara. I said that I must think about it. If yes where would such a guild be located and which immortal would they follow?
Interesting. A couple of possibilities spring immediately to mind. The Shadow Hand is a thieve's guild based in Thyatis; there has never been a lot of information printed about them- you could flesh them out a bit by merging the Telflammar SL info with them- the Thyatian Shadowlords, then, would be the "elite" of the Shadow Hands guild.
Other possibilities would be the Minrothad thieve's guild, or a Darokin based thieve's guild (most active in Akorros and Akesoli). They could also be a Sindhi thieve's guild (they could be like the Buraiya cult of assassins; either a similar group or else you could use them as the Buraiya themselves).
As for the patron of these folk, hmm... off the top of my head, I'd say that Talitha is the most likely candidate. She's an Entropic, and patron of thieves and self-gratification. Masauwu, an Entropic "smooth-talker" is another possibility.
Not actual gameplay experience, though I've a number of thoughts about the matter. I've actually been toying with the idea of doing a sort of X1-13: The Tides of War mega-module, similar to the B1-9: In Search of Adventure mega-module. The X4/X5/X10 thing would definitely work into that. Unfortunately, some of the other modules (notably X6: Quagmire and X9: The Savage Coast) don't fit into the sequence all that well...
I own only X1,X2,X3,X4,X5 and X10 and I really dont plan to play X2 or X3. and since the campaign has already started(they are currently in the Fort Nell area, bashing orcs) it would be hard to convince the characters to do the X1 journey. At the moment they are level4 and its Summer 1004.
Interesting idea. Off the top of my head, you could introduce this in a number of locations- the endless pit in the Manscorpion tomb could lead into Graakhalia, or if you'd prefer, you could just have them enter into the depths of the earth sometime prior to the Black Mountains- possibly as a means to bypass the armies of Hule that are encamped in the desert.
There aren't any "underground" modules in the D&D series that you could run, but perhaps you could adapt a module from some other setting as "filler". Off the top of my head, maybe you could modify some of the Queen of the Demonweb pits series (never read them, so don't know how well they'd adapt).
I have thought that they maybe hear that crossing the Plain of Fire on foot is nearly impossible for someone who is not experianced in the desert and let them discover an entry to Graakhalia there.
Another thought that could work- in Champions of Mystara, it is noted that the armies of Hule invaded Graakhalia. Perhaps some refugees from there- Sheyallia elves or Grugraakh gnolls find the PCs and enlist their aid to help remove some forces of the Master in Graakhalia? In exchange, they will provide them with a guide to help lead them to the Black Mountains.
That sounds good. I will think about that.
You could always have him escape, and disappear for a while. The assault on the Temple of Death and the disappearance of the Master should throw things into a bit of chaos for Hule, and lead them to recall their troops until X10 rolls around.
Alternatively, you might decide to not leave Hosadus' body lying around in the Temple where just anyone can get at it, and thus the party cannot dispose of his original body before facing him. Thus when his youthful form is defeated, he can return to his original body.
Something that I just thought of that might be an interesting idea- perhaps the "youthful" body that the Master is in possession of is the "rightful" ruler of Hule, and Hosadus (and his patron) were usurping it. There is a lot of back story unfleshed out about the suddenness of Hule wanting to attack the eastern nations, after all. Perhaps the reason behind their recent warlike insurgence is due to the Master's possession of the ruler of Hule. You could gradually hint at something like this as the PCs make their way through Hule, and thus during the final confrontation with the Master, their objective will be not to slay him, but to exorcise the possessing spirit of Hosadus. Thus freed, the former Master will return to his more peaceful ways and withdraw his troops, and Hosadus will have to find another way to get what he wants (probably by repossessing his old body and arranging for the death of the ruler of Hule, and usurping his position. Then he starts war again in X10.) This would also make the final confrontation that much more difficult for the PCs, as they need to capture/contain the Master, and not just kill him.
I think at that point should the party doesnt have a chance to beat the Master because he is about 17-20th Level and the Party is around 10. That means I dont want a confrontation with the master.
The master may be with the army somewhere else. So what could the party do that hinders the Masters plans? I thought maybe there is a extremely intelligent monster(Mind Flayer or similar) that directs the armies commanders with telepathy. If they slay that monster the army would be severly disordered.
That's a hard one, and I'm not sure what to answer. Given Darokin's multi-ethnic makeup, you could probably find just about any Immortal with a following in the country. Personally, I tend to think that Thyatian Immortals would be the most prominent (with Asterius, patron of merchants, leading the pack), with Traladaran Immortals close behind. Depends on the region, though.
I thought about it on my own a bit more. What about this:
Asterius
Korotiku
Koryis
Rathanos
Tarastia
Valerias
as main immortals of that area? Quite diverse and for there is something for everyone.
Unfortunately, my campaign is on hold for a while due to changes in my players' schedules. Maybe you could post some of your observations on what works well and what doesn't as your campaign unfolds, lonewolf. Perhaps I can make use of it.
So how does the plot hook work for the X modules when running the WotI?
I thought about it on my own a bit more. What about this:
Asterius
Korotiku
Koryis
Rathanos
Tarastia
Valerias
as main immortals of that area? Quite diverse and for there is something for everyone.
Those seem like good choices to me. If you want to check out some more on Immortals in Darokin, check out the Vaults of Pandius site
There's been such good ideas here that I'd love to run the PCs through those adventures. I'm running WotI myself as well, but it's very early 1005 and the characters are in the Northern Reaches. Is it too late to run X4, X5 and X10 in the story line? I haven't read them in such a long time, I forget the details. The party is just about to return a Modrigswerg-crafted artifact to their home in Vestland to help them defend against the increasing orcish raids.
So how does the plot hook work for the X modules when running the WotI?
The Masters armies take control over Sind between Winter 1004 and Spring 1005 and they attack Darokin in Winter 1005. I think I will set X4 and X5 somewhere between late spring and early fall 1005 and X10 starting in Winter 1005. But at least X10 needs to be heavily rehauled to reflect the changes that WotI brings.
About the plot hook: In my special case I have a cleric of Odin in the party and used him as a plot hook. He is getting visions from Odin that a nation of followers of his arch-enemy (Loki=Bozdogan) is planning an huge attack on the known world, and that his destiny is to fight this invasion. To start with that they are helping protect other Darokin borders so that Darokins army is on maximum strength when the invasion starts. There are of course many spies of Hule inside of Darokin to sabotage diplomatic relations, to stir up orcs in the north and Lizardmen in the swamp and of course a doppleganger inflitrating the group after the first few successes against hulean spies.
PS: I got my brother playing that doppleganger while intruducing him to the rest of the party as "just a new player". That was fun.
by Lonewolf
In my special case I have a cleric of Odin in the party and used him as a plot hook. He is getting visions from Odin that a nation of followers of his arch-enemy (Loki=Bozdogan) is planning an huge attack on the known world, and that his destiny is to fight this invasion.
LOL! I forgot to mention that there is a cleric of Odin in our party as well. This idea never clicked with me before, but after reading it, it seems so obvious!
The cool part about all this is that about a year (of game time) ago, the PCs were in Akesoli, Darokin, and had a run-in with an NPC named Juddanasus. He was a cleric of Bozdogan that was organizing a spy network for the Master on the western border of Darokin. It introduced the characters to knowledge of the nation of Hule and the Master, but not a whole lot more. I designed the whole senario around the idea that I could involve elements of the WotI that I thought the PCs might not actually participate in (i.e. the Master invading Darokin). This way, when the invasion did happen, they'd say to themselves, "Ahhh! THAT's why that Juddanasus fella was collecting all that strange information about Akesoli!".
But now, I could very well have the PCs get involved, through Odin, into the X modules and it would even have a foundational experience already. Now I REALLY want to do this!
PS: I got my brother playing that doppleganger while intruducing him to the rest of the party as "just a new player". That was fun.
I love it when opportunities like that come too. I bet it's going to be a whole lot of fun. I did a short dream sequence once to one of my players with the (pre-determined) help of the others. Each time it comes up we can't help but laugh! And thanks for the ideas.
hi all!
Im planning a long campaign using WotI and X4, X5 and X10 parallel. Has anyone exeriances whith that or has anyone adopted the X series for that time?
As you and Katana, I'm currently starting a WotI campaign; we are now at the start of summer 1004. I intend to play a game in the X4 and X5 style. My idea was to put players into action after the Master seizes Sind, so something around spring or summer 1005. My players are of 11-12th level and I'll be running the Phase I scenario soon.
Do you think that it might be possible that Rheddarian could send them to Hule as his first assingment?
That's a good idea
, I was wondering how to put them into it. Another way is a scouting raid send by the Darokin Republic. Anyway, this will be a scout mission, so I don't expect them to fight the Master.But I like the idea of the Odin/Loki plot you suggested ! There's no Odin cleric in my group however.
Which immortals do you think are beeing followed most in Darokin? And which Immortal would a Human Ranger from the Darokin Borderlands most likely follow? I found nothing in the Darokin Gazeteer about that.
Using the Almanach II and III, I think the following immortals are the most popular:
1) Asterius (trade, travel)
2) Koryis (peace and prosperity)
And other immortals less followed: Valerias, Ilsundal (there's many elves), Zirchev, Tarastia.
So I think your human ranger should be a follower of Zirchev.
I think at that point should the party doesnt have a chance to beat the Master because he is about 17-20th Level and the Party is around 10. That means I dont want a confrontation with the master.
The master may be with the army somewhere else. So what could the party do that hinders the Masters plans? I thought maybe there is a extremely intelligent monster(Mind Flayer or similar) that directs the armies commanders with telepathy. If they slay that monster the army would be severly disordered.
A Baldander is a good choice as it has the ability to create illusions that smell and feel real and it can appear to be the Master himself. That's what my players always faced when I played this campaign. They are intelligent and can really mess with the players minds. Especially if you never let them know what's going on until they kill it.
Then when the Master's army thinks that the Baldander is really him he will have to come back and regain control of Hule and that will force them to withdraw their forces.
where is this Balander from?
The Baldandar is a creature from the 0D&D accessory Creature Catalogue
:-) Jesper
The Baldandar is a creature from the 0D&D accessory Creature Catalogue
which i dont have.
can anyone give me a short description of him?
which i dont have.
can anyone give me a short description of him?
From AC9 - Creature Catalogue:
Baldandar
Ac 3 Save as: F12
HD: 6**** Morale: 9
Move: 150' (50') Treasure type: B
Attacks: 2 claws/1bite + special Intelligence:16
Damage: 1-8/1-8/1-4 + poison Alignment: Chaotic
No. Appearing: 1 (1) XP value: 1175
These evil creatures are masters of illusion and deception. Baldandars are tall, thin humanoids with large heads and glowing, yellow saucer-eyes. However, their true form is rarely seen since they hide themselves with illusions. They may project illusions up to 240 feet range (240 yards outdoors) affecting all senses. Furthermore, the illusions will remain real and react as if real for a turn after the creator stops concentrating.
A baldandar usually appears as either a high-level human magic-user (using spell-like illusions) or as a large dragon (using breath weapon illusions). Each victim of an illusory 'spell' or 'breath' will be affected by the attack as if it were real, unless a Saving Throw vs. Spells is made with a -4 penalty to the roll. In successful, the illusion is recognised as such, having no effect.
If cornered, a baldandar attacks with claw and poisonous bite. The victim of a bite attack must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison with a -4 penalty to the roll, or fall asleep for 1-4 turns.
At will, a baldandar may become invisible and fly. Once per day, it can cast the following spells: polymorph self, polymorph other, magic jar and confusion.
:D Jesper
Medium Abberation
HP: 6d8
Initiative+2
Speed 30
AC 17(+5 natural, +2 Dex)
BAB +4
Saves Fort +2 Ref +4 Will +7
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 14
Attacks: +6 Bite 1d4+Poison, 2 claws +1 1d8
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Ability Focus(Poison), Ability Focus(Shadow Evocation)
Spell-like Abilities:
at will: Invisibility, Fly, Major Image, Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Evocation,
1/day Polymorph, Magic Jar, Confusion
Poison: DC 15 or fall asleep for 1d4 turns
any suggestions?