Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Greyson 09-12-04, 10:37 PM	Hey, all. The PCs I am refeering through Shadows of the Last War will enter Whitehearth at our next game session. I have a subscription to Dungeon magazine, so I have Keith Baker's Steel Shadows adventure. I am going to put Ash, one of the central warforged from Steel Shadows somewhere inside of Whitehearth. He is stuck, trapped or locked in one of the facility's chambers - and has been for four or five years. The PCs find him, and release him. That way, they have a familiarity with him, and that will perhaps give rise to a greater sense of sympathy for him and more willingness to help him when they reach high enough level to play Steel Shadows. Is this a bad idea? Is there a reason I am not perceiving or understanding that will make this a bad move?
Brastan 09-12-04, 11:30 PM	thinking *I need to get that Dungeon issue* Let me present some questions for you to ponder. What condition do the PCs find him in? How much does he know about the facility? What items does he have with him? Were in the facially is he? (This one I can suggest an answer. There are some unmapped areas in the facility. You can add a different colored key charm to unlock that area, place the key some place were the PCs WILL find it.) Will he fight with the PCs if posable? What is his excuse for not participating in combat or searches? What does he remember about the day of Mourning?
Bubba333 09-13-04, 03:25 AM	Ooh! If you can pull that off, which I'm sure you can (maybe change his name when you place him in SotLW to prevent any Dungeon readers from making a connection), that would make a seriously great example of intrigue and betrayal. That's a very cool idea. Might I steal it?
Iron_Weasel 09-13-04, 11:23 AM	Great idea! I myself have also started laying the groundwork for Steel Shadows, and to that end have been exploiting my warforged PC's desire to hang out with members of his own race. Guess where he spends much of his free time? That's right, the ol' Red Hammer. He's even gone to Ash for some quick repair work and has had a few (verbal) confrontations with Shadowblack. Right now, the PCs figure that these characters are just throw-away colour, but I'm hoping that this early groundwork will pay off later when the party is powerful enough to attempt Steel Shadows. I'm currently running a powered-up version of The Queen with Burning Eyes, and may well introduce Copper towards the end as an unexpected ally during the fight with the Emerald Claw - I imagine him stumbling upon the hard-pressed PCs and coming to the aid of the warforged in the party. Having been saved by Copper in the past, I suspect that the PCs will be unlikely (unwilling?) to suspect him in SS Plot hooks away! Cheers!
Greyson 09-13-04, 12:58 PM	What condition do the PCs find him in? How much does he know about the facility? What items does he have with him? Were in the facially is he? Will he fight with the PCs if posable? What is his excuse for not participating in combat or searches? What does he remember about the day of Mourning? I thought perhpas that Ash is found "broken." Legs and arms that don't work because of damage; and/or he is trapped or burried under insurmountable debris, for example. They find him in a condition which prevents him from moving. This is why has not worked his own way out of the facility, can't fight or move. He has no possession. I was thinking about putting him in W17, which is empty according to the adventure's text. Sections of ceiling and wall have collapsed, immobilizing and pinning him there. The PC group I referee has a warforged cleric and a House Cannith (human, of course) artificer. They are both very sympathetic to the warforged condition. I thought about having Ash make genuine please for help once he learns of current events (the Last War is over, there isno Cyre. etc). "Take me out of here, reassemble/repair me, take me to where others of my kind are, and I will be in your eternal debt." He will not fight the PCs. I am thinking that he remembers a usual day working in the facility's kitchen. There was a rumbling, earthquake that intensified more and more each second until is cascaded into a deafening explosion, followed my intense heat. It went black inside the facility. Blindly, he groped his way to room W17 when the room literally collapsed on him. He heard fires, screams and felt the earth tremble for several days before all went silent. "Has Cyre won the war?" he asks. "Why has it taken so long for help to arrive? I think I've been disabled here for several weeks. Will I be repaired and sent to a front-line company? Or may I stay in Whitehearth?" Etc... Is this any good? Or, does it not work at one or more levels? I do indeed want it to be consistent and appropriate. I appreciate the questions and comments so far. That's a very cool idea. Might I steal it? Of course, as long as I can poach one of your ideas. :) I also think that Iron Weasel has a good approach with Copper, too. By the way, Steel Shadows is in Dungeon #115.
Bubba333 09-13-04, 01:15 PM	<<Of course, as long as I can poach one of your ideas.>> What the heck do I have that you could possibly want? :D