Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Darrek 05-28-07, 07:16 PM	Hi, I'm loving this module. My players can't get enough of it. Our bi-weekly sessions are turning over to weekly until we get through it! Unfortunately, this means I have a lot of prepping to do. So I am trying to puzzle out Encounter C2, and I'd like to know how anyone else interprets the map for that encounter. The map gallery link is here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/demonweb_maps/103942.jpg So the Ironmaw is supposed to be living in that "Hole". But where is that hole? I was thinking it's a flaw within the trunk of the tree, and the top half of the map was "cross-sectioned" through the tree's center, but that's going to make this encounter ridiculous and it doesn't suit the description of the hole being 200 feet deep. So then, is the mighty World Ash simply shorn off at this height? That seems flawed to me too! Anyhow, I'm going bonkers here, and I may just redraw the map myself with a more comprehendable cartography, but before that, I want to hear if anyone else has any idea how I should be visualizing this.
mearrin69 05-28-07, 07:35 PM	Darrek, I'm with you on this one...the map is confusing as heck. Doesn't make sense that the tree is actually cut across and, if it's a cross-section depiction, there's really no way the PCs could fall into the hole as described. I was thinking of running Yggdrasil with objective directional gravity (think that's right) so that PCs feet are always towards the wood and they just walk up the trunk rather than climbing. With that, I'd just put the Ironmaw into a 'series of tunnels' in one branch and section of the trunk near that branch. The PCs can stand wherever they want on the branch or trunk but, if they're near a hole they're subject to tentacle attacks or, if they're near the larger 'caves' that the Ironmaw can be attacked through then they can fight it directly. Make sense? I dunno. For sure that map didn't make any sense to me though, so I'm open to anyone's alternate suggestions. M
Repentinus 05-29-07, 09:56 AM	I decided to play it a little bit differently. I gave the Ironmaw root legs and that these would be stretched out over the hole. I viewed his mode of transportation as him shoving these legs into the sides of the hole as he moved up and down it. The whole inside of the tree is hollowed out and that's its "home" at this location. This keeps the danger of falling/jumping down the hole for the PC, and a reasonable sense of mobility for the Ironmaw, it causing further damage to the tree which it doesn't like in my opinion. I also was seriously confused initially by this map.......