Post/Author/DateTime	Post
hailstop 10-18-04, 12:44 PM	Okay, I want to use Whispers of the Vampire's Blade...but my party is going to be 6th level when it happens. Normally, not a huge problem...I could just jack up some of the abilities. However, I also have 6 players...and against single opponents, increasing the number of PC's has an exponential effect. I'm trying to think if it's realistic to run this module with my current party (especially given that they have a Barbarian w/ 18 Str, who carries a Great Sword...does an average of 16 pts damage). Searing Light could cause problems (no save, just a ranged touch attack)...they also have Haste so that's another 6 odd attacks each round. At some point, modules cannot be upgraded in level due to an increase in the variety of PC's abilities, but I can't decide if we're at this point. I might just leave this adventure for a later campaign. Ideas? Comments?
Steven Snyder 10-18-04, 04:50 PM	I did it with a party of 9th and 10ths. What I did was use relational adjustments. The module assumed 2nd level characters so I went from there. Broken Anvil - 4 Kobolds (2 - Ftr4, 2 - Sor4), 10th level WF Land Encounter - 2 Spectres Sea Encounter - 3 Vampires hidden in the cargo hold Failin Thugs - Recurring Villian 10th level Fighter/Half Iron Golem Emerald Claw - 11th level NPCs, Troll Skeletons, 6th level fighter thugs Twisted Skeletons - Morhgs that were wolf-shaped Charnel Pit - 1 "real" carcass crab Living Spells - Just upped the HD, no real challenge there Wolf - Dire Wolf/Half Iron Golem Half the party was captured by the Emerald Claw, so it was quite a challenge.
hailstop 10-18-04, 08:35 PM	I did it with a party of 9th and 10ths. What I did was use relational adjustments. The module assumed 2nd level characters so I went from there. Broken Anvil - 4 Kobolds (2 - Ftr4, 2 - Sor4), 10th level WF Land Encounter - 2 Spectres Sea Encounter - 3 Vampires hidden in the cargo hold Failin Thugs - Recurring Villian 10th level Fighter/Half Iron Golem Emerald Claw - 11th level NPCs, Troll Skeletons, 6th level fighter thugs Twisted Skeletons - Morhgs that were wolf-shaped Charnel Pit - 1 "real" carcass crab Living Spells - Just upped the HD, no real challenge there Wolf - Dire Wolf/Half Iron Golem Half the party was captured by the Emerald Claw, so it was quite a challenge. Actually, I'm talking Whispers of the Vampire's Blade, not Shadows of the Last War. Already dealing with that one. ;-)
WotC_Dave 10-19-04, 04:34 AM	For six 6th-level PCs, I'd start by increasing the EL of each encounter to an average of EL 7--or EL 8 if the PCs have rich gear loadouts or unusually high ability scores (remember, we set CRs against 25-point buy PCs). When possible, add more monsters in addition to making each monster tougher, because it's more tactically interesting for your players if they aren't all ganging up on a single foe. Above and beyond upping the CRs across the board to match your party, one thing I'd consider for a higher-level party is to emphasize that Lucan is to be brought back in a non-destroyed state. Higher-level PCs have too many ways to obliterate a vampire, and you want the adventure to last longer than it takes the druid to unroll that scroll of sunbeam. Taking Lucan out while leaving him intact is a good challenge that'll test the brains of the players as well as the toughness of their PCs. A second key to a higher-level "Whispers" is doing a lot of strategic thinking ahead of time so that you can play Grilsha smart. At higher levels, it's more imperative than ever that she thwart the efforts of the spellcaster PCs. I'm not saying that Grilsha's smart enough to have the perfect anti-PC spell or item ready, every single time. But I am saying that if Grilsha sees the PCs relying on haste in the first battle, she might go shopping for a wand of slow when she gets to Zilargo. Have her learn from each encounter with the PCs and develop specific countermeasures for their tried-and-true tricks. A third thing you can do is let Lucan go all-out. As written in Whispers, he fights suboptimally throughout a good chunk of the adventure because he attacks with the sword, not with his life-draining slam attacks. A higher-level Lucan should slam more; the PCs can take it. One last thing: Make the sword itself cooler and scarier. That should be fun. --Dave.
Iron_Weasel 10-19-04, 09:41 AM	Excellent suggestions, Dave! My PCs will be going into WotVB at 5th level, so I'm going to use your ideas as inspiration to make the adventure more challenging. Cheers!