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View Full Version : DM Help Out of the Abyss - Gracklstug (SPOILERS!!!)



INDYSTAR188
2016-10-20, 02:42 PM
Playground,

I'm curious what you chose to use from this section of the module (chapter 4)? Did you use all of the content, trim it down or expand on it? Do you have any advice for those of us about to run it? I'm curious if you had them get quests from Errde Blackskull, Themberchaud, and Gartokkar (the Keeper of the Flame leader)? They probably aren't all necissary since they all seem to want you to find Droki. I like having the NPCs because the module has spent so much time "in the wild" so-to-speak. For my part I'm planning on having the players use the following parts:

Day 1:
- Assassins Interrupted
- Conscripted by the Stone Guard (arrested after 'fighting' on the docks)

Day 2:
- Blade Bazaar and then Rampaging Giant
- Shattered Spire (to meet Werz Saltbaron, the dude they rescued above)

Day 3:
- Themberchaud's Lair and Agents of the Wyrmsmith
- Cairngorm Cavern (where they will probably get the Stonespeaker Crystal)
- Spotting Droki and Chasing Droki


Complications occur randomly. Each participant rolls a d20 at the end of its turn. Affects the next chase participant in initiative order.

1 - a group of 5 duergar teamsters herding a clutch of 12 steeders. 50% chance 3 of the steeders lash out at the character. Call for arrest if any spider is killed. Make a dc14 Athletics or Acrobatics to get past or 10 feet of difficult terrain per 5 foot square of steeders.

2 - a group of 5 duergar slavers herd a column of 18 kobolds, blocking your way. dc14 Athletics or Acrobatics to get through crowd with 10 feet of difficult terrain per 5 foot square of slaves.

3 - a large stained-glass window depicting the Deepking blocks your path. Make a dc12 Strength save to smash through or bounce off and fall prone.

4 - a maze of barrels, crates and pallets of iron blocks stand in your way. dc10 Intelligence save to manuever through the maze.

5 - the cobbles beneath your boots is slippery with spilled oil. Make a dc15 Dexterity save or fall prone.

6 - you come across a pack of dogs fighting over food. Make a dc12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to weave through the pack unimpeded. On a failure you are bitten (2d4+2) and you move through 10 feet of difficult terrain.

7 - you run into an argument in progress; Xalith Masq'il'yr is face-to-face with Gorglak the gate captain (and their respective crews are too). Make a dc15 Athletics, Acrobatics or Intimidation check or you are taken out of the chase as Xalith grabs your arm and demands your arrest.

8 - a begger blocks your way - arm out - asking for coin. Make a dc10 Athletics, Acrobatics or Intimidation to move past. Auto-success if PC tosses him a coin. Counts as 10 feet of difficult terrain on a failure.

9 - an over-zealous duergar guard mistakes you for someone else. The guard makes an opportunity attack grapple (+5 v PC's Athletics or Acrobatics); grappling and removing the character from the chase.

10 - you are forced to make a sharp turn to avoid colliding with a huge door suddenly swinging open. Make a dc12 Dexterity saving throw to successfully make the turn or you run into the door and fall prone, taking 1d6 damage.

11-20 - no complications.



Day 4:
- Whorlstone Tunnels

Ashdate
2016-10-20, 04:55 PM
I used most of the content when my players went through it, but I has Buppido be secretly an assassin/serial killer who was working with the Keepers of the Flame, who were all secretly part of a cult dedicated to Demogorgan.

I swapped Graz'zt out as the demon lord secretly controlling the King, and he has his own cult (mostly Derro) who worship "The Prince with Two Faces" which on the surface sounds like Demogorgan. The one *actually* spreading most of the madness, including what is infecting the merchants (via cursed coins)? The Prince of Deception, Fraz'bru-luu. So the PCs may think it's one cult, but there are actually two, and they are killing each other.

(Fraz btw is also behind the corruption of the stone giants in my game, used so he can gain access and corrupt Gravenhollow later in the adventure.)

Themerchaud can be run mostly as normally, except of course that the PCs might not realize the red dragon egg is trying to be corrupted by the real cult of Demogorgan.

In the Whirlstone tunnels section, Droki is working for Fraz, as are the Derro cultists (whether they know or not). The serial killer (I.e. Buppido) angle was played up as the players visit the docks with Duergar pulling corpses out of the darklake. I dropped hints that the Derro cultists have hired the Grey Ghosts to find and kill the serial killer, which (hopefully) raises questions when the PCs visit Buppido's lair and see a big ol Shrine to Demogorgan.

(Also: my players went to Blingdenstone first, so the reason they went here was to pick up weapons for the fight against the Pudding King. Unbeknownst to them, a secret message relayed to the supplier that the deep gnomes were looking for silvered crossbow bolts too. Let's just say that the wererats did not have a good end in my game, and my players were wonderfully pissed when they realized their role!)