[Eberron] Campaign Journal: Shadows of the Last War (at level 4)

[Balacertar]

I was planning to follow up all the Pattern plot campaign for Eberron, my players took the Forgotten Forge, but we wandered for too long with other busness and now they attained level 4-5.
I was looking for advice and material to adapt the part 2 "Shadows of the Last War" for those levels maintaining the flavor but making it interesting for my players.
This is first time I use these forums, and I hope I can share with you how all this ends up. I will maitain this and next posts with the results of the experience so others can profit.

The group
Divock: Warforged Paladin 4 of the Host
Daeris: Human Rogue 4. Born in Sarlona, she just discovered the wizard she scaped when young was preparing her as a host for a Quori.
Yan: Changeling Cleric 5 of the Host. He has an extrange duality due to past events and his dark side worships the Dark part of the Host.
Lordmuni: Human Sorcerer 4, Cannith dragonmarked. He plays with a focus on enchantment and his doubtful behaviour has put him under surveyance of his House for some affairs with certain ladies.
Vondom: Gnome Artificer 4, works for Cannith House as a warforged and elemental binding expert. He has been playing the happy-go-lucky and I fear he or anyone else can think there is no risks in the game.

I consider this group to be a level 5 equivalent. They tend to improvise plans during the encounters, Yan and Vondom resulting quite resourceful and unexpected, while Divock and Lordmuni big power machines. They enjoy the most from humoristic situations, like to interpret a bit and encounters wich require special tactics/mechanics within a limit.

[Balacertar]

This encounter seems designed to be a real challenge to the party as well as an warning of which kind of powerful forces are behind the pattern race. 4 kobolds and a 3rd level warforged fighter though seems too squishy so these are the changes I have designed for an EN 7:
8 kobolds: regular equipment
Pendragon 1 kobold bard 1: combat equipment, silence scroll, invisibility sphere scroll, fog cloud scroll, 2 scorching ray scrolls
Cutlass 1 warforged cleric 6 of the Lord of Blades (Warforged and War domains): +1 greatsword (sacred symbol of the LoB), owl's wisdom scroll, bear's endurance scroll, bull's strength scroll, 2 repair moderate damage potions, aid wand (CL6) x17 charges

This is how I have imagined the encounter.
This is a surprise assault, so the creatures can prepare ahead. The Lord of Blades followers have been failing dramatically when trying to destroy the players, and so this time will carefully prepare ahead. That means Cutlass has time to bluff all those kobolds and himself, giving them an opportunity to finish the group finally.
Cutlass and Pendragon will cast over the kobolds:

aid (all)
inspire courage (all)
prayer (all)
invisibility sphere (all the kobolds)
silence (2 kobolds)
resistance (Pendragon)
construct stoneskin (Cutlass)
construct essence, lesser (Cutlass)
divine favor (Cutlass)


The kobolds will not usually survive more than 1 or 2 assaults, but the +1d8+6 hd might be enough for them to score a couple of good hits and give Cutlass time to seriously menace the party.
The final objective is to neutralize the party and kidnap Elydren to find Merrix's schema.
The invisibility sphere will be centered over Pendragon with all the other kobolds around him, they will advance as far as they can without being noticed.
Once the assault is started Cutlass will proceed summoning an Spiritual Weapon and then with range spells as Searing Light or preferebly Sound Burst if there is room for so (remember the silence area).
Pendragon will retreat and cast whatever defensive thing he can without losing his invisibility (fog cloud scroll, counter music, cure), and trying to cover Cutlass with it.
The two silenced kobolds will try to maitain the casters neutralized as long as they can.
Once the invisibility cover is lost, Pendragon will use the Scorching Ray scrolls to deal as much damage as he can before dying.
Cutlass will not doubtly go over the party with his Greatsword if there is a clear target for it, or after the shiled of kobolds starts to fade. If the odds are going badly, he will not doubt to make any warforged in the party to kneel with its Turn Construct domain power.
After this encounter the party will probably take seriously the Lord of Blades menace.

I could have added some sneak attack empowered kobolds to the assault, but I think this is just enough for a level 5 party challenge.



This seems less interesting undead attack ever. Even being 8, the cleric will implode them with its turning skill in just 1 or 2 assaults. I need some ideas as to change the skeletons for some more interesting creatures or think over a situation the cleric cannot just simply abuse them without other consequences. Ideas apreciated.

There is a necromancer in the ship which launches the attack in an attempt to neutralize or at least slow down the player's progress in order to find the pattern before them.



The whole encounter must be scaled to become somthing a level 5 party shall fear. Otherwise they will end up charging over the camp.
This can be accomplished by a clear sign a couple of competent casters are around in addition to the large force of regulars.
I state here the only changes made to the encounter (I don't list the details, so if the cleric is now 5 instead of 2, take into account its base attack, saves, etc. have gone up). In this case I prefered to leave flavor over optimizing (nigromantic stuff in general), choosing specially not to overpower the casters.
Keltis Doran: Level 5 cleric, +1 Wis, +Lightning reflexes
Spells He is an evil cleric of an evil god, he has no need to slot those inflict spells because he can always spontanously cast them. Change them instead to some cure instead.
Mallora: Level 5 nigromant, +1 Int, +Thougness +Improved initiative
Spells I made a very nigromantic selection, with all fear effects possible to max profit of the Nigro feat.

[Balacertar]

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