A Couple Confusing things about WotVB (spoilers) [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Couple Confusing things about WotVB (spoilers) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Hanuman47
09-18-04, 09:26 PM Overall, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade seems to be a fun adventure, but there were a couple things about the airship encounter that confused me. Our old friend Garrow (in a new guise) uses a decrepit airship to overtake the one transporting the bad guy (and provides transportation for the PCs if they missed the first boat). Fair enough - even if it is slower (never specified by the adventure), it is running with minimal crew and cargo, while Cloud's Destiny is fully loaded. After overtaking Cloud's Destiny, he sends over 4 "skiffs" to attack. There are a number of things about this that don't make a lot of sense to me.

1) The skiffs are specifically noted as not having bound elementals. Bound elementals provide motive power to airships. I can see that the soarwood might keep the skiffs aloft, but how the heck do they move?

2) The adventure also specifies that the skiffs move at only 2 mph, about 1/10 the speed of a normal airship. So how the heck do they keep up with Cloud's Destiny? Maybe, just maybe, they could convey a boarding party across if they were close enough, but one of them supposedly circles and fires missile weapons at anyone on deck. How does it do this?

3) In the eventuality that Garrow was transporting the PCs, he helps them board Cloud's Destiny before attacking it. Does this make sense? Maybe he thinks they would create a useful distraction, but isn't it just as likely that they will causee problems for his own boarding party? This is especially true if he's been successful at pumping the PCs for info and know's who they're after. If I were him I would definitely not want the competition and would arrange some sort of "accident" to get them out of the way before the attack.

4) Related to point 3 above, if he is able to get the PCs onto Cloud's Destiny quietly, why doesn't he do the same with his own crew?

5) Not a question about the encounter, per se, but the illustration. (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ebw_gallery/82881.jpg) Cloud's Destiny appears to have an additional rearward section in the illustration that is not depicted in the map. What is that section?

All in all, though, I am very impressed with this adventure and especially with the art work - it's a vast improvement on what appeared in Shadows of the Last War.
Hanuman47
09-19-04, 02:30 PM Just noticed in the WotVB art gallery (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/20040917a) a picture that was not in the adventure. It appears to be one of the skiffs (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ebw_gallery/82882.jpg), complete with elemental ring. There's also a griffon-mounted archer who is not mentioned in the adventure (but would make a nice addition to the attack and could substitute for the slow skiff circling Cloud's Destiny). Perhaps he was dropped due to the similarity to the glidewing-mounted halflings in the lightning rail attack.

Perhaps I am spending just a bit too much time obsessing over fairly small details. Again, overall, I think the adventure is a good one and I look forward to running it for my group.
Zagumus
09-19-04, 04:54 PM 1,2,4) I agree with the slow skiff with archers not being able keep up.
The way I image the scene playing out to compinsate is GArrow does sneak a few of his best men on the way he did the party and disables the foward motion of the ship so it is just sitting there when the attack begins or going very slowly... the other opition would be to make really fast skiffs with elementals in them maybe just for the archers.

3) As easily as Garrow got beat by my players last time (1 hit garrow never did anything but run away) they meet, I understand why he got them away from him. Garrow is a lazy try to get the PC to do it for you kinda a guy so I could see him send them over to find Lucan so he doesn't have to, or the PC will get ambushed by Lucan then Garrow step in and finish the

5) Artistic license, I guess. :cool:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hanuman47 09-18-04, 09:26 PM	Overall, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade seems to be a fun adventure, but there were a couple things about the airship encounter that confused me. Our old friend Garrow (in a new guise) uses a decrepit airship to overtake the one transporting the bad guy (and provides transportation for the PCs if they missed the first boat). Fair enough - even if it is slower (never specified by the adventure), it is running with minimal crew and cargo, while Cloud's Destiny is fully loaded. After overtaking Cloud's Destiny, he sends over 4 "skiffs" to attack. There are a number of things about this that don't make a lot of sense to me. 1) The skiffs are specifically noted as not having bound elementals. Bound elementals provide motive power to airships. I can see that the soarwood might keep the skiffs aloft, but how the heck do they move? 2) The adventure also specifies that the skiffs move at only 2 mph, about 1/10 the speed of a normal airship. So how the heck do they keep up with Cloud's Destiny? Maybe, just maybe, they could convey a boarding party across if they were close enough, but one of them supposedly circles and fires missile weapons at anyone on deck. How does it do this? 3) In the eventuality that Garrow was transporting the PCs, he helps them board Cloud's Destiny before attacking it. Does this make sense? Maybe he thinks they would create a useful distraction, but isn't it just as likely that they will causee problems for his own boarding party? This is especially true if he's been successful at pumping the PCs for info and know's who they're after. If I were him I would definitely not want the competition and would arrange some sort of "accident" to get them out of the way before the attack. 4) Related to point 3 above, if he is able to get the PCs onto Cloud's Destiny quietly, why doesn't he do the same with his own crew? 5) Not a question about the encounter, per se, but the illustration. (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ebw_gallery/82881.jpg) Cloud's Destiny appears to have an additional rearward section in the illustration that is not depicted in the map. What is that section? All in all, though, I am very impressed with this adventure and especially with the art work - it's a vast improvement on what appeared in Shadows of the Last War.
Hanuman47 09-19-04, 02:30 PM	Just noticed in the WotVB art gallery (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eb/20040917a) a picture that was not in the adventure. It appears to be one of the skiffs (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ebw_gallery/82882.jpg), complete with elemental ring. There's also a griffon-mounted archer who is not mentioned in the adventure (but would make a nice addition to the attack and could substitute for the slow skiff circling Cloud's Destiny). Perhaps he was dropped due to the similarity to the glidewing-mounted halflings in the lightning rail attack. Perhaps I am spending just a bit too much time obsessing over fairly small details. Again, overall, I think the adventure is a good one and I look forward to running it for my group.
Zagumus 09-19-04, 04:54 PM	1,2,4) I agree with the slow skiff with archers not being able keep up. The way I image the scene playing out to compinsate is GArrow does sneak a few of his best men on the way he did the party and disables the foward motion of the ship so it is just sitting there when the attack begins or going very slowly... the other opition would be to make really fast skiffs with elementals in them maybe just for the archers. 3) As easily as Garrow got beat by my players last time (1 hit garrow never did anything but run away) they meet, I understand why he got them away from him. Garrow is a lazy try to get the PC to do it for you kinda a guy so I could see him send them over to find Lucan so he doesn't have to, or the PC will get ambushed by Lucan then Garrow step in and finish the 5) Artistic license, I guess. :cool: