Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lord_Tirian 03-04-08, 03:47 PM	Okay, during Easter, I'm running an extended one-shot for my group - in Eberron. From reading around and the preferred levels of my players, I've picked Grasp of the Emerald Claw as my favourite. I know that it's part of the Schema adventures... but I'm fairly optimistic that I can a) do without the previous ones, and b) can put some of the needed background story into my PCs' story - it's a glorified one-shot, after all. However, I always like to see some tips, recommendations, and... well anything else, you can tell me - from advice to play experiences! So, anything, guys? Cheers, LT.
Nomadicc 03-12-08, 09:02 PM	A lot of the encounters are balanced for a low-power party, IMO. My group of four were 7th level when they entered the main ruins, and I had to seriously beef up the threats to make them meaningful. For example, using the SoX I added a few enhanced drow rangers and a scorrow to the drow encounter; increased the level of all the Emerald Claw soldiers to 3; added several Karrn undead to the encounter areas; added four NPC "foes" that were working for Garrow (members of the Twelve's Acq Dir, ala Exp Hbk. That being said, the traps in the printed module are generally KILLERS! The waterfall, razor-lined chute + 250 ft fall, and diminished banshee wail are all nasty, for any level... so unless you take certain glee in party wipes, be judicious with their application/results. I had a lot of fun with the ruins, too. The place is massive enough that the party can explore for a while without causing too much alarm from the EC group... but once they enter the upper levels, make sure the EC guys are making dynamic decisions. Garrow himself would probably remain upstairs, studying, but he'd certainly send Scimitar and company out on a skirmish if he had definite intel that the adventurers were in the ruin (and not some measly drow revenge party or roaming dinosaurs). If you want some of my NPC stat blocks, let me know... My only "issue" is with the final encounter: Its left very open as to how Xulo is reanimated. What if the party doesn't completely reform the creation pattern? I'd recommend having a cinematic set-piece encounter designed beforehand. I wish I had done that ahead of time...
Lord_Tirian 03-13-08, 05:32 PM	Thanks, that's helpful information! Cheers, LT.
Ogiwan 03-17-08, 11:05 AM	I'd have to agree with what the other guy said. Though, if you want my recommendation, I would advise Whispers of the Vampire's Blade. Seriously, I ran it, and my group loved it. So much cinematic stuff it's hardcore unbelievable.
Nomadicc 03-17-08, 07:18 PM	I thought Whispers was fun as well... though I think I got more out of Grasp because I added a lot of story to the front end. Whispers required some tweaking as well - some of the set piece encounters just didn't pass the test of logic. An active, interested party isn't going to sit around for 2-3 days on a lightning rail when they know their quarry is on board, somewhere. Same goes for the airship... I did away completely with the stage coach race because it was poorly engineered (IMO). As written, Grasp is a full-on dungeon crawl... full of traps, monsters, and strange puzzles. I love the gargantuan scale of the place (though it made in-game mapping a pain). I had to run a few encounters using a 10' / sq inch... The water trap is my favorite, by far - my party had no idea... :evillaugh
Arcane Guyver 03-17-08, 07:42 PM	Whispers needs a little attention, but running it again for the third time, it's not as bad as some make out (don't be too secretive about the enemy's motives...monologuing is a great tool in this respect). Bruce Cordell put out a different version of an early encounter in Grasp here on his blog (http://homepage.mac.com/macbrucecordell/B1283663648/C608165187/E1610916623/index.html).