Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[Tavis]

So, the Mizridoor college is somewhere in or near Kingsport - and the party that I'm running for have taken it upon themselves to 'free all the magical items that must be in there'

Earlier in the chronicle it was decided that the 'perfuming' of the sewers was done by student wizards as part of detention duty - a bit of throwaway colour that I decided to add for the wizard in the party.

Of course, the party have remembered this and realised that there must be a way from the sewers into the college.

With the Masters and Spiders in charge I'm trying to work out whether the Masters would be holed up in the college - the concentration of magical paraphinalia making them decide it would be best to move there, rather than move all the stuff out - or alternatively have had the place cleared out and used for some other purpose - like a spider hive?

Has anyone else had any experience with EN and the party wanting to perform missions deep into Spider territory before the 'story' is ready for it?

If so, how did you handle it?

Any input would be appreciated.
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

The wizard in my EN game wants much the same thing.

And I anticipated that, too. And I put Mizridoor smack into Kingsport, right up at the cliffs.

We have not yet reached the point where the PCs strike out to hit the academy, but here's what I plan on springing on them:

Obviously, Mizridoor didn't go down without a fight. Kingsport got hit hard and fast, so most of the wizards found themselves defending the very halls they had studied in. As a result, the buildings forming the academy have mostly been badly damaged, gutted by fire or totally destroyed... And what is left is now heavily patrolled to prevent survivors from gathering up any magical item or artifact that didn't (or couldn't) be removed.
I will make this one a total suicide mission, so if they mess up, they'll better have either a very good escape plan or lots and lots of luck. But I will also sprinkle a couple of very cool and/ or powerful magical items in there for them to find...
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"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[Tavis]

I'm reckoning that I'll provide at least one Chess Piece - I was thinking of either a couple of extra pawns, or alternatively a Rook - giving it an "Unstoppable Charge" ability - If a rook moves in a straight line, it may ignore the multiple action penalty for attacking, and gainst +2 to damage if it uses it's running movement at all.

And possibly offer up an 'immobile' magical item that is only available in the college - I've had an alchemist character in the game, using rules from the Fantasy Toolkit, but have made it clear that 1) only priests can make potions (don't ask why, it's magic!) 2) you can't make a potion of Mizridoor

So - how did those potions get made? I'm thinking that there's something in the college that 'creates' the potions - perhaps by draining the Power Points of a wizard into a vessel so that they can be used later. Thus if the party make it there, the Wizard will have the option to create one or more Potions of Mizridoor, but at the cost of having no power points left for the 'trip back out'

I guess I'll just stock the place with an almost limitless supply of Spiders, liberally sprinkled with Wither Beasts (For some reason the party aren't scared of Spiders or Masters, but REALLY don't like the Withers ...)
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

Well, the stuff I created for this one include:

- an Arcane Amplifier (a very large crystal in a cast-iron stand, with a weight of about 200 pounds), located in one of the former labs. It grants a +2 bonus to Knowledge (Arcane) rolls to anyone within 5 yards.

- a saber called "Stormwind". It does STR+d8 damage and contains a minor air elemental that can becalm or whip up the air immediately surrounding the owner of the saber, granting a +2 to Intimidation rolls.

- a crossbow called "Skullcaster". It has a skull headpiece and fires miniature skulls that explode in a SBT upon impact, doing 2d6 damage. It can fire every round without the need to reload.

- a staff called "The Black Death". It has 10 PP, a d10 plus Wild Die in Spellcasting and contains the Burst power with the Icy Darkness trapping. Oh, and it is considered a Dark Magic item.

- a folio containing the gist on the Zombie power... Yeah, Dark Magic, too.

- the formula for the Elixir of the Sun (from Shark Bytes, I think). Basically, the elixir gives of light while bottled and can revive a dead body if used. The ingredients are: various herbs, a troll's liver, a healing potion, a pulverized white Bloodstone () and a Light spell cast over the finished product.

- a Rook of Mizridoor. It has Strength d12 and Vigor d12, the rest is d4. It has Fighting d6 and Notice d6, Pace 4, Parry 4, Toughness 13 (5 Armor), is Fearless and a Construct. It draws 2 cards in combat and acts on the lower one and has the Mighty Blow Edge (which kicks in on any face card). It is armed with a two-handed axe that deals STR+d10 AP 1 damage.

- a Queen of Mizridoor. She's a Wild Card with Strength d12 and Vigor d10, the rest is d8. She has Fighting d10 and Notice d8, Pace 6, Parry 6, Toughness 11 (4 Armor), is Fearless and a Construct. She has the Level-Headed, Improved First Strike and Improved Sweep Edges. She's armed with a two-handed sword that deals STR+d10 damage.

No, I don't think they'll get every single item from that list. If they are lucky, they'll make it out with 2-3 of those.
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"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[Tavis]

I might just have to steal some of those if they do make it into the tower proper.

The Queen's pretty scary!

And I love the idea of creating something else that will make the players think twice about using a White Bloodstone ...

And they might just need one of those potions if things go the way that I expect them to. I just need to work out just how many Spiders constitutes a suitable "You were warned" style warning. I'm reckoning 30 or so, plus backup.
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

I forgot to mention that casting Pawn of Mizridoor on the Queen costs you 6 PP and maintaining her costs 2 PP per round. Otherwise she would be way too scary...
_________________
"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[Tavis]

That would indeed make her not quite as scary.

And with many many powerpoints and improved rapid recovery, I need every way to drain pps that I can get.

Well, perhaps not, but it's nice to have 'em run out of rescources every once in a while.
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

I know the feeling.
My group has 2 arcane types (a wizard and a Red Knight), 2 fighters and 2 shooters.
But then again, my biggest "problem" are the fighters. They can take several hits from spiders without blinking and chew through them like they had Chicago typewriters...
_________________
"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[Tavis]

I'm currently working with
A Red Knight: Full Plate and Smite and Avatar of Solace ...
A Sun Priest and Alchemist - Makes healing potions, casts Boost trait a lot ...
A Wizard of Mizridoor, Bolt, Blast, Burst and power edges after that.
A White Towns Barbarian: Berserk, Frenzy, Brawny
An Elven Archer who is a one trick pony - archery, he's awesome at, hit him in combat and he's as much use as a chocolate teapot.
A Half-Elf Beastmistress who has a pack of dogs thanks to taking Beast Bond more than once.


The Knight tends to just use his powers to boost his own combat effectiveness, so he tends to run out swiftly, the Priest spends a lot of time boosting the Knight and Barbarian - but tends not to need to maintain.

The guy that runs out of his schtick the quickest is the Archer - arrows cost money, after all.

As for the Spiders - I must admit that I altered them somewhat from the written stats - firstly I gave them d4 damage claws - and secondly made them AP1, or AP3 if they hit with a raise.

Granted, most 'tooled up' fighters can still mow through them, but it gives them a little more 'bite' when they're hitting back.

When it comes to the Blue Spiders, I'll add the same, and possibly Block as well, so they have a little more survivability as well.
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Sadric]

I didnt play evernight yet.

SPOILER***************************************
But I thinked that one of the seven-the magus could be made his home in here. If I remember correct he was the guildleader or something like that, so its his hometurf, and he think all the things in this place are him. only him, and everyone that get near the ruins are out to steal his preciousses and should be killed, my preciouses!

And, yes I thinked that it should be badly damaged because it was a hard fight, all the magicians against the masters, so only the cellars would be intact. Full of rats and something that whisper "My Preciouses!" and throw fiery bolts.

[Tavis]

The Magus is in there, but forms a different part of the plot ...
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Sadric]

[Tavis]

Hmmm, that is a possibility, in fact, I could even have the party 'break him out' of Mizridoor, and him run off and, with his tortured brain, become the rat lord later ...

I shall ponder further.
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

Say, that actually is a good idea.
I wasn't very fond of how he got treated in the campaign, but putting him back into Mizridoor might just do the trick.
Imagine the PCs battling a seriously large group of spiders, when suddenly the spiders break off and make a run for it... and then the room swarms with rats and the Rat Lord challenges them!
_________________
"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[Tavis]

Yes, I can see it now - they find him, locked in some kind of cell, talking with the rats - but still mostly coherent ... Spiders attack before they can release him, and drive them back ... later they return to find him gone - somehow he managed to break out ... and then later still, as Noshrock suggests, when they're severely battered, he turns up with all his rats and drives the spiders off ... then turns on the party as well - since he now can't tell friend from foe - of course, he's just trying to break himself out - which will set him up in the tunnels ... the rumoured 'rat king' has just become real ... and the party 'created' him!
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Noshrok Grimskull]

Oh, that is so mean and evil and Boy am I going to use that.
_________________
"If you think I'm crazy, you should see the people I'm locked up with." - Steamdriven

"This is my timey-wimey detector. Goes 'ding' when there's stuff." - The Doctor (Doctor Who)

[PEGShane]

(These are REALLY cool ideas!)



Shane

[Tavis]

Ohhh!

We have the Shane seal of Cool!
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)

[Sadric]

sometimes I HAVE to run Evernight!

At first reading I thinked it was extremly cool. Then after thinking about it I see the major railroading problem and some plotholes, but every time I talk here about it I get so much excited about playing it one day.

And BTW freeing/creating the rat Lord could destroy some of the Legend points the player collect at the other plot points.

[Tavis]

As long as no-one ever hears about it, then it shouldn't make any difference to their resistance points - in fact, I think it states with regard to the former members of the seven that the resistance points are only lost if the party tell anyone about the seven being 'overcome' in the way that they were. That being said, since I'm using the PotSM Fame rules in my EN campaign, the players seem to want to tell everyone about everything they've done that might be considered 'heroic' (like freeing a prisoner, for example) to grow their personal fame ... and while they might become famous for it ... they might also lose out on some resistance points as while folk revere the heroes, they're less likely to go out and put their own heads on the line.

As for not liking the 'railroadiness' ...

Treat the 'linear' storyline as a plot point. You just have to come up with the other savage tales.

Look at most of the Plot Points in other settings - you could just run the plot points, forcing the characters from one scene to another.

Just as with Evernight you can use the linear plot as points that need to be passed through to achieve the overall stoy arc - but other sessions are easy to add in.

There are plenty of other fantasy adventures available for free as well, if you don't want to write your own that you can put in as seeds for the characters to pick up on, or not, as they want to.

Most of the characters in my group were halfway through seasoned before the Evernight 'plot' started - as I wanted to lay on the 'everyone loves heroes' thing a bit thicker to start with.

Then I've included several other possibilities for the party to pick up on since they've been in King's Landing. "Noble Deceit" ran particularly well with a few tweaks ...
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Currently Playing:

SWD: 50 Fathoms (GM)