Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kalanth 07-22-05, 12:35 PM	Well, its all over now. Running through the Eberron modules, becoming true and bold adventures we came to an abrupt end last night in our final session of the campaign. You see, the Gnomish captain of the undersea vessal just would not listen to us when we told him that we had no luck with vehicles in this world. That all but one had been attacked, and all but two destroyed, while we were aboard. Now we are attacked by a Dire Shark, something that was inevitable because the captain wanted to take the short cut. In our attempts to avoid the shark, we get caught in the ropes. Ahh, yes, it all was something we knew was comming from the beginning, but the captain still did not listen. *Sigh* Bravely, my Warforged companions and I ventured out into the sea to cut free the ship, along with several gnomes, but this was not to be a day for the just. As we hacked away and struggled with the nets, the shark reapeared, and had itself a nice meal of one gnome. Feverishly I hacked away with my axe and dagger, but was not getting very far in the cutting of the net, and the shark turned to for the next pass. Leaving my back to the shark I continued to cut, but the end was here. The shark glided over and took me into its maw, nearly severing me into two pieces (22 hit points, out of 35 max), with my friends to far away from me to save me from the beast. The next thing I knew, I was swallowed hole, crushed and digested within seconds. The shark was not finished, and ate another three gnomes and the Warforged Atificer before our Warforged Juggernaut could defeat the beast. Swimming limply to the nearby shore, dragging with him the only remains he could find (Warforged Artificer), the Juggernaut beached himself only to be slain in a battle against four Shuaggin (sp). The only thing that disapoints me is this, I died such an unheroic death that no one is going to tell anyone my story. Otherwise, the group was fine with the TPK, just felt the stupidity of the moment should be shared. If ever you board a vessal in Eberron, be warned, you will be attacked. :)
Veyllos 07-22-05, 12:55 PM	Hahaha Your post made my day, man. That was damn funny! V PS I would highly suggest finding someone else to run your games. =)
Kalanth 07-22-05, 01:17 PM	Hahaha Your post made my day, man. That was damn funny! V PS I would highly suggest finding someone else to run your games. =) You know whats funny about that suggestion, the encounter was set that way in a prewritten module. Besides, after I died first, I was chearing on the deaths of the rest of the group (to be honest). We loved the DM, he did nothing wrong at all, and played it as the dice fell which pleased me immensley :D .
Veyllos 07-22-05, 01:29 PM	Ya but someone just spent 10 bucks on a module that will never be played out since nobody's exactly excited to get back to that scene and the game is over. I try to let the dice play out but, man...sometimes you have to put the players in a position to succeed and keep that thing goin'! I've got real life to beat me down so there's no need to give me a healthy dish of "this sucks" at the gaming table! =) V
Edymnion 07-22-05, 01:42 PM	Heh, yes, doo-doo occurs. But just think of it this way, you have VERY strongly emphasized the point that getting to Xen'Drik is a dangerous affair, not something to be done lightly :)
EscherEnigma 07-22-05, 02:33 PM	off topic musings: Hm... thats true... just how often are people attacked while traveling to their destinations? I've only run a few sessions so far, (Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, and a little side adventure before Whispers) but so far they've been attacked every time they've travelled... Just walking around Sharn they get jumped in the Forgotten Forge, in Shadows they get ambushed whether its by land or by sea, and I know that Whispers they've be attacked while travelling several more times... Don't have Grasp yet so I don't know about that. Is this just a theme in the modules, or is it simply that common? On topic: Ouch. Sounds painful. But as long as everyone enjoyed it... thats what matters. Still, seems rather spiteful of the DM to throw a band of Sahuagin (or however its spelled) after being attacked by a dire shark, having half the party eaten, and swimming to shore. Even if it was written it, sounds like SOMEONE was being spiteful...
Kalanth 07-22-05, 08:51 PM	off topic musings: Hm... thats true... just how often are people attacked while traveling to their destinations? I've only run a few sessions so far, (Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, and a little side adventure before Whispers) but so far they've been attacked every time they've travelled... Just walking around Sharn they get jumped in the Forgotten Forge, in Shadows they get ambushed whether its by land or by sea, and I know that Whispers they've be attacked while travelling several more times... Don't have Grasp yet so I don't know about that. Is this just a theme in the modules, or is it simply that common? I have to say its most likely just a major theme in all the modules. Its the designers way of introducing such things to the new players and those that have not gotten involved with them before. Thats the idea that I get because you had a journey on nearly every vessal in the world, including the horses (yes, those died under us too). On topic: Ouch. Sounds painful. But as long as everyone enjoyed it... thats what matters. Still, seems rather spiteful of the DM to throw a band of Sahuagin (or however its spelled) after being attacked by a dire shark, having half the party eaten, and swimming to shore. Even if it was written it, sounds like SOMEONE was being spiteful... It got to a point, even with the DM dumbing down (we lost a player at the end of the second module) that the encounters were a bit more difficult than they should have been. We were never intended to fight the shark, that was made clear after we finished up, and the Sahugin (sp) were what we expected to be attacked by because of the foreshadowing of their tribal homes in that area. Ah, it was good times, we even congratulated the DM on his first TPK ever, and he has been playing almost 20 years.
BMStroh 07-22-05, 10:15 PM	We were never intended to fight the shark, that was made clear after we finished up, and the Sahugin (sp) were what we expected to be attacked by because of the foreshadowing of their tribal homes in that area. Ah, it was good times, we even congratulated the DM on his first TPK ever, and he has been playing almost 20 years. Well, I recently finished running the module for my group, and I don't know how you could really avoid the shark as written. My guys got lucky, in that the shark went after the two Orien heirs first, and they used their dragonmark power to get out of it's mouth and back to the ship... This was my question a while back - considering the limited number of these craft in the world, it seemed odd that the sahuagin just happened to have a trap designed just for it, exactly in the place you'd happen to be... Oh well... Despite a number of raised eyebrows, which the entire group got a good laugh out of at the time, the module was still a pretty good time. Even if slightly illogical.
ConfusedUs 07-22-05, 11:27 PM	Grasp of the Emerald Claw is insane. I lost four PCs in that one. I lost a PC in Whispers too. I lost a PC to Lucan in Whispers at the end. Energy Drain sucks. I lost a PC to the aforementioned shark. I lost two PCs to the bodak in Stormreach. I lost a PC to the giant scorpion in the temple. I almost lost PCs to the mummy and his globe of invulnerability. I almost lost the entire party to the drowned (how is that thing only CR8??) The giant warforged knocked the elven ranger to negative hit points four different times. Yay for clerics. These adventures are deadly. They're not nice to PCs who go poking their heads in the wrong places.
Crimsonsun 07-23-05, 04:17 AM	We didn't lose a PC until Emerald Claw and that was when we went against Xulo. Ninja went splat, halfing bard went splat, and the shifter ranger was grappled and THROWN at the artificer (me!) but fortunatly, he missed. Unfortunatly, he went splat against the wall.... I however solo'd Xulo with a handy wand of scorching ray! :D I think the author of that module had put something on his web site for an alternate encounter, if you didn't want to use the shark... I know it doesnt help ya NOW... but for others! :D off topic musings: Hm... thats true... just how often are people attacked while traveling to their destinations? I've only run a few sessions so far, (Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, and a little side adventure before Whispers) but so far they've been attacked every time they've travelled... Just walking around Sharn they get jumped in the Forgotten Forge, in Shadows they get ambushed whether its by land or by sea, and I know that Whispers they've be attacked while travelling several more times... Don't have Grasp yet so I don't know about that. Is this just a theme in the modules, or is it simply that common? Its because the party has SHINYS!! :D
Kalanth 07-23-05, 08:54 AM	I think the author of that module had put something on his web site for an alternate encounter, if you didn't want to use the shark... I know it doesnt help ya NOW... but for others! :D The entire module, from Lucan on was just nasty. I know I had a streak going, I dropped to negative HP once every session for five straight, and died fighting Lucan. Managed to be reserected, and had no chance for that after the TPK. Loved the story, but now we have an even juicier story because we failed. :D
Ardegrath 07-24-05, 04:41 PM	Well in my campaign the Angulis Marauders, went past the shark with out much trouble since the shark decided to eat metal (warforged) isntead of fleshy substance and when they got to land. The Sahuagin fell to the parties deadly arrows. It was no contest really. The pyramid went by really fast, thanks to invisibility sphere. The party basically waltzed by all the encounters till they found garrow and Falchion ( I say falchion becuase they had killed Scimitar in Whispers). When they confronted Xullo the won thanks to the various cohorts/ allies they had with them. Over all it was a fun adventure, really took me by surprise when they started casting the Sphere of invisibility and just overode all the encounters.
Junkyard Dog 07-25-05, 06:58 AM	From last fall until this spring, I DMed a party through the whole sequence, from Forgotten Forge to Grasp of the Emerald Claw. It is a challenging sequence, but we only lost one character and that was to the bodak in Stormreach. The fact is, if you look at them, the ELs are well within range of what you can and should throw against the party. I've got competent, power-gaming players and quite frankly this is the first published material I've ever used which adequately challenged them on a consistent basis. I've run entire published adventures in previous campaigns, sometimes two in a row, covering five or six levels of advancement, in which the party was never put against the ropes and pummeled. They enjoyed these tough encounters immensely. I will say, that the sequence beginning with Lucan, following with the dire shark, the bodak and then the giant scorpion, yields about as good a chance for at least one kill as you'll find.
MrFilthyIke 07-25-05, 05:58 PM	If ever you board a vessal in Eberron, be warned, you will be attacked. :) Well there's your scam. Maybe Eberron characters that rock at defense, plan out defenses as you board the vessel, then EXPECT the assault. Deman extra gold for your truoble from the captain/driver. The start setting up ambushes and "defending" them for certain death. The gp's should start flowing, and the DM start fuming. :devil: